Vacasa’s Holiday and Winter Travel Trends report showed new data of the most popular ski resorts in the United States. Conducted with Allison + Partners Research, 53% of U.S. residents plan to travel during the upcoming winter season, while 20% remain unsure of their travel plans.
Rising costs have made 33% of respondents book well in advance while 27% adjusted their travel days to get the best price and 22% decided to find a half-way point to meet friends and family.
Regardless, winter is coming, and the forthcoming snow means the opening of ski and snowboard season. Vacasa’s top trending destinations for December 2022 through February 2023 were:
- Whistler, British Colombia, Canada
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
- Ludlow, Vermont
- Mammoth Lakes, California
Not only are each of these locations are seeing a year-over-year rise in demand, but people are also booking vacation rentals for groups of people based on certain criteria. 70% are looking for a space for the whole family to cozy up, 59% based on private amenities (ski gear and kitchens) and 58% have booked based on privacy.
The report also interestingly showed data on where travelers plan to go during the cold months of the year. 39% plan to go to warm-weather locations, 32% to a snowy destination and 29% are planning a mix of both.
Compared to last snow season, fewer individuals are not traveling because of the rise in gas prices. Fall 2022 respondents were at 27% while winter was at a much lower 13%.
On top of all the winter travel data, the report provided incite on traveling in the new year. 40% plan to travel more frequently in 2023 over 2022 while one-third of U.S. consumers are in the process of booking Spring travel.