Wilmington, Mass. (January 26, 2021) – The spread of COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the travel industry and as travel slowly starts to resume, new trends are developing. According to Villas of Distinction_®, there is an increased demand for U.S. domestic villas, an uptick in long-term rentals and a shift in the time from booking to traveling.

“Those who aren’t quite comfortable coming into contact with large groups of people are opting to take a staycation or a road trip, and stay in a private villa which is an accommodation type that provides a socially-distanced experience,” said Willie Fernandez, general manager and vice president for Villas of Distinction.

The most notable trend for people booking 2021 vacations is the increased demand for domestic villas. Since people may be nervous about traveling out of the country and some aren’t comfortable flying, there is heightened interest in road trips and staycations. As a result of this, in the last nine months Villas of Distinction has added more than 300 villas in the U.S. including California, Colorado, Connecticut, the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. In addition, Villas of Distinction will add more villas in Canada for the Canadian market as they are also required to stay within their country.

Now that many children are doing school virtually and parents are working remotely, they can complete their work from anywhere. Villas of Distinction is seeing many family’s traveling and staying in a villa even when not using “vacation” time. These workcations have led to an increase in long-term rentals and is very popular in the Caribbean islands such as Barbados and Grand Cayman, which have both devised programs specifically geared toward this type of traveler.

Villas of Distinction has also seen a shift in book-to-travel windows. In 2020, there was a seven percent increase in people wanting to get away within 0-60 days, creating more close-in bookings than its seen in years’ past. There was also a five percent increase in people booking more than a year in advance even into late 2022 and 2023.

People are looking for travel options where they can adhere to the safety guidelines set by their country. Villas of Distinction’s villa properties have agreed to follow the Vacation Rental Management Association for safety and cleaning protocols.

There will be a pent-up demand for travel and people can get away, but still be in a home away from home. For more information about Villas of Distinction or to book a villa vacation, visit www.VillasofDistinction.com or call 800-289-0900.

About Villas of Distinction_®

Villas of Distinction_®, as part of World Travel Holdings, is an award-winning, full-service premier luxury villa experience creator with an extensive portfolio of thousands of privately-owned villas in more than 50 luxurious destinations worldwide including the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, Central America, the United States and many private islands. Many villas feature private pools, butlers, maids and chefs. The luxury villa provider has gained its guests’ trust by ensuring every villa meets strict standards so that each home exceeds expectations. Since 1989, Villas of Distinction’s team of experts have made vacation planning effortless by helping travelers find their perfect vacation home and creating one-of-a-kind getaways and lasting memories at the world’s top villas. www.VillasofDistinction.com.

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