So what exactly is a safe-cation? Good question. For those who are missing their summer vacation time but are still hesitant to go to the more popular places that tend to draw crowds, safe-cations are the latest trend. Essentially, it is a getaway where perhaps off the beaten path a bit, you can avoid the crowds.
Travel this summer is expected to be down over seventy percent, and it is understandable; people are simply scared to fly, they're scared to go to those places and venues that draw large crowds. Hence the emergence of the safe-cation. To many, this means a road trip, and then as far as stops along the way, more and more are forgoing traditional motels and hotels for outdoor experiences, including camping, RVing, and glamping.
As cases soar in some hotspots in the south and west areas, in more rural and wilderness areas they are seeing the tourism increase quite notably. Yellowstone for example is witnessing tourists coming back in higher numbers than expected. The same goes for places such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In fact, according to those who work in the mountain resort in Jackson Hole, this summer feels not that much different from any other in terms of tourism.
Airbnb chimed in as well, with reports showing that over the Fourth of July holiday bookings were up in places like the Adirondacks, the Berkshires, and the Outer Banks. People more so than ever really do need to get away and enjoy themselves, they just want to make sure they can do so safely in wider open areas such as the aforementioned.
Even in those places that are seeing a lot of tourist traffic, there are still many attractions and activities that are off-limits to visitors. Concerts particularly, of course, most festivals have been canceled for the summer, and many restaurants are only operating at a limited capacity. And yet this does not seem to be stopping people from taking their safe-cations. Mainly what we're seeing is people simply wanting to rent a house, get their groceries delivered, and enjoy the outdoors with family and friends.
Fourth of July especially was a busy time for many of these regions—to their surprise. But they did prepare and they also promoted. In the Adirondacks in New York for example, before the 4th, they increased efforts as far as promoting the region as that which was a far safer choice than otherwise crowded beaches. They focused heavily on New York City, touting that an upstate getaway was not only a relaxing and enjoyable choice but again a safer one than leaving the state for an otherwise packed beach destination.
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