London is the most popular summer destination for US travellers, according to airline’s search data
Delta will offer 20 per cent more seats to UK capital to meet demand
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London is this summer’s hot ticket for US travellers, according to new search data released by Delta Air Lines.
The American carrier revealed that the UK capital was its most searched-for international destination this summer, reports Travel + Leisure.
As a result, Delta is offering 20 per more seats flying from the States to London in summer 2023 compared to the same time period in 2019.
The data was based on searches on Delta.com made between November 2022 and April 2023 for travel dates between June and August.
After London, Cancun in Mexico was the second most searched-for international spot, followed by Paris, France and Rome, Italy.
Tokyo, Japan, came in fifth, while Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Montego Bay in Jamaica, Athens in Greece and Los Cabos in Mexico nabbed places six to nine respectively. The top 10 was rounded out by Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The news will be a boon for Britain’s inbound tourism industry after the country lagged behind European neighbours in recovering visitor numbers following the pandemic.
The UK slumped from having the fifth most powerful travel and tourism market globally in 2019 to ninth place in 2021, with a contribution to GDP of just over $157bn, the biggest drop for any of the top 10 countries.
A confusing, ever-changing set of rules, including travel corridors, the traffic-light system and quarantine hotels, made the UK a less enticing prospect for international visitors than its rivals until restrictions were dropped.
Meanwhile, UK to US travel should get easier as of 12 May, when the latter will finally axe its vaccination requirement for foreign travellers.
After 18 months in which the US has demanded proof of full vaccination from international visitors, the rule will expire at the end of the day on Thursday 11 May – which is when America’s “Covid-19 public health emergency” officially ends.
Florida’s theme parks, Manhattan’s restaurants and California’s road trips are finally back on the summer agenda for British travellers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
