Increasing demand for travel as COVID numbers decline and vaccination numbers rise

PHOENIX - According to a travel agent, there’s a lot of pent-up demand for travel, and Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport numbers are also showing a similar trend. The airport was buzzing with travelers on March 5, but some travelers say to them, things look much different than a year ago.

"We’ve been on a plane where there were only 26 passengers, and today, there were only five open," said one traveler, identified only as 'Heather.'

"We flew to Florida two weeks ago for the Daytona 500, and that plane was full," said another traveler, identified only as 'Andrea.' "There were no empty seats. We have to have that. America needs to come back."

Janet Semenova with Boutique Travel Advisors says it's the confidence travelers now have with COVID numbers declining and vaccination numbers increasing that's leading to the uptick.

"A lot of people are thinking if I want to travel in the next 12 months, I better get on it because demand is going to shoot up, and then prices are probably going to go up and availability will go down," said Semenova.

Semenova says currently, she's booking more domestic travel. She expects international travel to come back later in the year.

"Dude ranches, mountain experiences, national parks have been really popular," said Semenova.

Semenova says most people calling her looking to book are senior citizens.

"They are the ones who really were isolated over the past year. A lot of them haven’t even traveled to see family. They haven’t been anywhere. All of their trips have been postponed, and they want to catch up a little bit they want to get going," said Semenova.

Semenova says travel insurance is very important currently, and with restrictions still in place, people should definitely book early.