Local Holiday Travel is Hitting the Ground Running
There’s no denying that travelers these days are searching for an experience outside of the four corners of their homes. In 2022, it was shown that travelers were spending more on their travel plans this year than they had in the past 5 years. Exotic vacations are enticing when the price is right, but as prices rise and travelers are more aware of their pocketbook in these changing times, more and more travelers are looking towards local holiday travel.
This, combined with the ever-growing impact of our carbon footprint and the need to promote local business growth, is changing the mindset of travelers across the country. Here are the trends that we are seeing with traveling locally as we move into 2023:
Memory-filled trips for a much smaller price tag
Just because you’re going on an excursion doesn’t mean that it must cost an arm and a leg. With airline prices skyrocketing, travelers are now looking at trips within a 2-3 hour radius of their hometown to experience new scenery and culture. For those in large cities, an escape can be as simple as driving out into the country to enjoy a breath of fresh air.
We see this all the time, from travelers planning a trip from Chicago to our culture-rich location of Galena, IL, or conference events being hosted outside of downtown Kansas City and instead at our quieter Stoney Creek Independence location alongside the lake. This allows for multiple weekend trips throughout the year rather than one large exotic excursion, which promotes the overall mental health of the traveler by having more frequented escapes at a much lower cost.
Enjoy local goods and services without the additional tourist fee
When we travel to overseas or exotic locations, travelers are always weary of the cost of being a tourist. Rightfully so, the locals have every reason to raise their prices and taxes to protect their community from the overrunning of non-locals. However, traveling more locally to areas within your region means fewer price hikes and more local benefits for you and the community you’re visiting.
By traveling to new areas within a smaller radius, travelers are discovering unique hideaway eateries, lodging experiences, and beautiful scenery that doesn’t include thousands of other tourists hunting for the same things. This also adds flexibility to your travels when you aren’t relying on everything aligning perfectly to make the trip happen. Forget running to the airport to catch that 10-hour flight. Go ahead and sleep in for once!
At Stoney Creek, we love promoting the health of the communities we’re in by promoting local eats and experiences. Our close-knit relationships with small businesses make us stand out from the crowd, and our genuine hospitality practices focus on creating a home away from home for all of our travelers. Because we know that despite where our guests are coming from- both near and far- they are looking for an experience that justifies the trip with localized opportunities to bring family and friends together in an engaging, inviting space.
