Summer 2024 has the potential to be the busiest travel season of all time.
In the first quarter of this year, global tourism reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels. Some 285 million people traveled internationally between January and March, which is a 20% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Indicators suggest that a high number of Americans in particular will travel in the next few months. Between October 2022 and September 2023, the State Department issued 24 million passport books and cards—the highest number in U.S. history.
Paros, Greece
With thousands of islands, jaw-dropping views, and sparkling Mediterranean waters, Greece is a perennially popular tourism destination.
Mauritius
For powder-white beaches, inviting blue waters, luxury resorts, and a dynamic cultural scene, there are few better places to visit than Mauritius.
Mark Twain described this island country’s beauty best when he said, “Mauritius was made first and then heaven, heaven being copied after Mauritius.”
Mauritius is part of the Mascarenes, a group of islands that float in the Indian Ocean about 1,000 miles off the coast of southeastern Africa. Its remoteness plus its astounding natural beauty made it a haunt for jetsetters in the 1980s.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, another island country floating in the Indian Ocean, is a land of verdant highlands and stunning beaches. Its appeal is a blend of surf and wellness cultures, similar to Bali before its boom in popularity and resulting over-tourism.
Centers of yoga, reiki, breathwork, and other well-being practices have sprung up around the island in recent years. Some of these centers, like Kalukanda House and Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, combine wellness concepts with luxury-level amenities and accommodations.
