With airlines adding frequency to existing transatlantic routes and low-cost, long-haul carriers expanding their flight programmes, dozens of new US holiday destinations will become more readily available to the UK market in 2019, the tourism authority has said.
Brand USA has identified ten key travel trends it believes will shape travel in the US next year.
These include the growing popularity among British tourists of RV or camper tours; the US’s thriving luxury hotel scene; surfing holidays; music travel; ‘packrafting’ (travelling via fold-up raft); food halls; solo travel; and holidays on horseback.
“New flight routes mean lesser-known corners of the United States are easy to reach,” said Brand USA. “New sports are emerging; even the way we eat and socialise is evolving – food halls are now cool new places to hangout. These things and more, are set to shape the way we travel in the US in 2019.
According to Brand USA, airlines will “strengthen routes and increase flight regulatory” next year.
These include British Airways’ London-Nashville service, which will increase to a daily service for summer 2019; Delta’s expansion of its four-times weekly Heathrow-Portland service to daily and addition of a daily Heathrow-Detroit service; and Virgin Atlantic’s new double-daily Heathrow-Boston route.
Additionally, the tourist authority says the availability of low-cost, long-haul options such as those offered by Norwegian and Wow Air were making transatlantic family travel more affordable.
“In 2018, Norwegian increased its service of London to Fort Lauderdale flights, improving access to Florida’s east coast and theme parks, while December 2018’s new seasonal route from Wow Air, which links London and Orlando three times a week until April 2019, has made the region more accessible for those travelling on a tighter budget,” said Brand USA.
