The vacation travel season is picking up and hotel bookings are showing signs of improvement over the previous year when the COVID-19 kept many visitors out of the area.
The Courtyard by Marriott Carolina Beach Oceanfront expects a full room sale for Memorial Day weekend, said Tom Ullring, general manager of the Carolina Beach Hotel.
“I’d pretty much say our summer season started pretty early, which is very nice. I think when people are vaccinated and the restrictions are lifted, people will be a lot more comfortable traveling, especially to a drivable destination,” said Ullring.
At least 37 million people are expected to be 50 miles or more from home for Memorial Day weekend. This corresponds to an increase of 60% over the previous year, in which, according to the AAA, 23 million travelers recorded a record low since 2000 recording the numbers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated guidelines that allow fully vaccinated low-risk individuals to travel domestically while taking appropriate precautions. Unvaccinated individuals are advised to practice social distancing, wear a mask, and wash their hands, along with other safety measures.
“AAA Travel has seen a significant increase in online traffic and bookings on AAA.com recently, particularly for hotels and rental cars during the summer travel season. AAA booking data shows that domestic travel and road travel remain the biggest drivers of recovery of trips to AAA.com are short-term, “said an AAA press release.
After Memorial Day weekend, the forecast for bookings for the summer is “above average,” said Ullring.
And hiring of staff in many hospitality businesses is increasing to meet this summer’s needs, he said, adding that it has been difficult to find workers.
Business wasn’t as strong due to last year’s COVID-19 pandemic, although the hotel opened in early May 2020 after about a month and a half of shutdown due to the virus and the restrictions placed on companies to stop its spread.
Business was busy at the time but not as busy as normal, he said from last summer.
However, the upcoming Carolina Beach summer season should be very active, he said.
This applies not only to the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, but to others in Carolina Beach, area restaurants, and similar establishments in the area, he said.
“From now on we are moving forward in summer 2019, the last normal summer before COVID,” he said. “The summer will be very busy for our region … we will see more visitors than we would normally come to the region.”
