Travel is often a game of trends. And when it comes to identifying what destinations are intriguing travelers most, booking sites like Expedia have ample data to work with.
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This year, Expedia has seen boosted interest in island travel. Between this year and last, the platform has noted a 55% increase in island-related searches.
Some of that is, once again, purely related to passing trends. Cape Verde, for example, saw an explosion of interest following the FIFA World Cup. The team’s goalie, named Vozinha, became a bit of a fan favorite for tens of thousands of viewers, helping contribute to an 805% increase in Cape Verde searches, notes Expedia. (The hype is still going, too.)
Should you actually travel to Cape Verde because it’s the hometown of Vozinha? Probably not. But the rest of Expedia’s data-driven results should probably be somewhere on your bucket list.
A closer look at the world’s top trending islands, according to Expedia
According to Expedia, island searches are up on their platform, and even across social media, with 20% more year-over-year mentions of islands. But the platform isn’t just ranking islands that get the most search attention—they’ve also categorized the types of deals, packages, and hotels that users are searching for.
Here’s what we know about the world’s top trending islands, along with the types of travelers seeking them out:
- St. Lucia (search increase of 125%) – Romantic Escapes
- Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal (search increase of 85%) – Wellness & Relaxation
- Praslin, Seychelles (search increase of 80%) – Nature Lovers
- Syros, Greece (search increase of 60%) – Cuisine & Charm
- Lofoten Islands, Norway (search increase of 50%) – Arctic Adventures
- Palawan, Philippines (search increase of 40%) – Natural Wonders
- Culebra, Puerto Rico (search increase of 35%) – Water Adventures
- Sanibel Island, Florida (search increase of 25%) – Family Escapes
- Phu Quoc, Vietnam (search increase of 25%) – Affordable Luxury
- Fiji (search increase of 15%) – Multi-generational Value
If any of these locations have caught your interest, I highly recommend diving into the full study. You can see which resorts and hotels Expedia recommends for each location.
