Virgin Atlantic has unveiled the top ten things Brits would like to experiences in the US ahead of the reopening of the country to international visitors next week.
The transatlantic carrier commissioned a YouGov survey of 2,000 Brits, which found 40% of Brits have missed being able to visit the US – which opens its borders to tourists again on November 8.
Virgin Atlantic reported a steady stream of bookings for the US. They “stabilised” at 30% up on last year’s levels after an initial spike which saw bookings at 600% more than 2020 after the September 20 announcement that the US border would reopen in November. A 47% week on week increase in bookings followed confirmation of the November 8 reopening date on October 15.
According to the survey, which was conducted in September, 52% of respondents want to visit places they’ve never seen before to find new experiences and 40% are keen to explore a national park such as Yosemite or Joshua Tree.
More than a quarter (27%) said they were keen to revisit their favourite US haunts, while 13% want to visit sites seen in TV shows and films and a further 13% want to share travel experiences with friends and family.
New York was the most popular destination among respondents. The city accounted for the most Virgin bookings of any US city following the initial reopening news and 39% of those surveyed who wish to travel to the US said the city was their top choice with visits to Times Square (16%), the Empire State Building (25%), Statue of Liberty (29%) and Central Park (33%) topping respondent’s lists of things to do.
More than a quarter (26%) of respondents want to visit Walt Disney World Resort and/or Universal Studios in Orlando, which comes as Orlando flight bookings were up 120% on the night of the announcement.
Virgin Atlantic also reported a 70% increase in bookings from the US to the UK, following the July 28 announcement that vaccinated US passengers entering the UK would no longer need to quarantine.
Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “After 18 months of travel restrictions between the UK and USA, it’s clear from the demand in our bookings and our research that customers are more excited than ever to return Stateside to explore, relax or reconnect with loved ones.
“We’re so delighted that fully-vaccinated UK travellers can enjoy the USA once again from Monday.
“The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years since our first flight to New York City in 1984. We’ve greatly missed flying our customers to the USA and we can’t wait to welcome them back on board to help make their American dreams come true.
Virgin will be flying from Heathrow to New York JFK, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Orlando and Las Vegas, and from Manchester to Orlando and New York.
The results of its top 10 things UK travellers would like to do in the USA, are as follows:
- Exploring a national park such as Yosemite or Joshua Tree (40%)
- Take a walk-through Central Park (33%)
- See the Statue of Liberty (29%)
- Visit Walt Disney World Resort and/or Universal Studios in Orlando (26%)
- Visit the top of the Empire State Building (25%)
- Eat a hotdog in Times Square (16%)
- See a game at Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium or the Superbowl in Miami (15%)
- See the famous names along the Walk of Fame in Hollywood (15%)
- Try their luck at the casinos of Las Vegas (14%)
- See friends and family (12%)
More: Virgin Atlantic details restart of more transatlantic routes