Demand for Beach Vacations Over July 4 ‘Stronger Than Ever,’ Vrbo Data Shows

Travelers are heading to the Gulf Shores in Alabama, The Hamptons in New York City, and the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Americans aiming to escape for July 4 are overwhelmingly scheduling relaxing, toes-in-the-sand-type locations, according to data from house reserving site Vrbo shared with Travel + Leisure.

Travelers who scheduled a remain on the website for the vacation weekend primarily chose beachy areas in the South, followed by those on the East Coast, according to Vrbo, with the Florida Panhandle can be found in as the leading scheduled location.

“We normally see households trying to get out of town for the 4th of July, but this year’s list of top destinations reveals that the desire to soak up the sun and fresh air at a beach … is more powerful than ever,” Melanie Fish, a Vrbo travel specialist, told T+L in an email. “As summer warms up, households are using it as a chance to get a much-needed change of surroundings.”

The Gulf Shores in Alabama was available in as the second most popular holiday weekend area, with the Hamptons in New York City, which saw need grow twice as much as any other destination, coming in third. The Hamptons started reopening in time for Memorial Day with some popular Montauk resorts inviting guests after New york city’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo OK ‘d state and regional beaches to resume.

Fish noted the Outer Banks in North Carolina, which was available in at No. 7 on the list, is likewise seeing a big spike in searches. The location, just recently included on a Netflix program, is understood for its herds of wild horses.

In general, Fish stated 95 percent of need for summertime travel is for non-urban destinations.

Villa rentals are becoming a popular choice for tourists hitting the roadway in a post-COVID-19 world, professionals have shared with T+L. To that end, reservations for Labor Day on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo are really similar to last year for the exact same time duration, according to Guesty, a residential or commercial property management platform.

These are the leading 10 locations for July fourth, according to Vrbo’s booking data.

Florida Panhandle, Fla.

Gulf Shores, Ala.

The Hamptons, N.Y.

Hilton Head, S.C.

San Diego, Calif.

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Outer Banks, N.C.

Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Cape Cod, Mass.

Charleston, S.C.