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The most popular travel destinations in the U.S. have quickly shifted to cover the top initial destinations for Americans seeking to make their return following the government shutdown.
The most heavily visited tourism regions have been left largely untouched by the furloughs of thousands of federal workers and cleanup of wall construction are set to begin on Tuesday. The number of overseas visitors has begun to pick up, with hoteliers reporting an uptick in arrivals. Despite the beauty of the area, “Chaotic Washington” has attracted interest and traditional holiday destinations are beginning to win back business.
In one instance of a misplaced marketing effort, one California-based museum (unwittingly using the name “Zoos”) used the shutdown to promote its exhibit. Zoo and Science Center in San Francisco quickly posted on Facebook: “We still have tickets available for us and our friends at LA Zoo (supposedly the number one destination on United Airlines and Delta Air Lines – @united killed their part two course options for customers to purchase travel to America’s Top 5 destinations)…” The post managed to go viral and received more than 2,700 likes.
While New York, Los Angeles and Orlando have been affected by the lack of federal services, some destinations in the continental United States have taken an approach of staying in the face of the furloughs: Disney’s Disneyland reported that the park was fully operational and attractions are open. Hotels in some regions have also reported increased occupancy and, in many cases, fewer cancellations following the shutdown.
The most popular destination among those who have returned has been Hawaii, according to a survey published by ARIA. The survey found that nearly 24 percent of visitors to Hawaii reported that they had returned after the shutdown.
And, of course, just in case you missed it: