If 2020 was the summer of road trips, 2021 is the summer of resorts.
While many of last year’s trends persist — vacation home bookings and car rentals are among the few segments of the travel industry that have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels — new trends are emerging. And those trends are decidedly luxurious in nature, if less far afield than in the Before Times. This summer, you’ll find Americans relaxing (and working) from sandy North American beaches.
Overall, summer 2021 signifies a return to more traditional leisure trips.
“Last summer was like the carefully designed pod, right? Yes, you can see family or friends, but you need to do some planning and ask a lot of questions and be choreographed,” Airbnb co-founder and chief strategy officer Nate Blecharczyk told Recode. “Suddenly, people aren’t talking about pods anymore, right? They’re talking about getting vaccinated and then hanging out.”
As vaccination rates rise and the travel industry claws…