Alaska, Colombia, Ireland, New Zealand and Niagara Falls are the 2013 Wow Deal Destinations as declared by Travelzoo.
Travelzoo named its list based on industry projections, recent trends and consumer buzz, it is anticipated that these five destinations will yield the strongest collection of “wow” deals.
“These are exciting times for American travelers,” Shirley Tafoya, president for Travelzoo North America, said in a news release. “Thanks to increased carrier routes and revitalized competition among airlines, hotels, cruise lines and tour operators, there are now some serious deals to be found – both here in the U.S. and internationally. This is a trend that we expect to continue through 2013.”
In North America, both Alaska and Niagara Falls represent unique saving opportunities for travelers in 2013. In Alaska, deals are being propelled by new itineraries that increase the capacity of major cruise operations. More ships and departure dates equate to better deals for cruisers. Travelzoo’s director of cruise content Darlene Carenza says, “We project further savings for travelers when operators bundle tours with land packages, such as hotel accommodation.”
Similarly, hotels in Niagara Falls have embraced new online supply channels, and the resulting frenzy to offer the best online deal has meant huge savings for travelers this year. In recent months, Travelzoo has run nearly 20 Getaways for Niagara, and most of these deals have included perks, such as restaurant and spa credits, that have essentially made the room rate free. Travelzoo believes 2013 will be another banner year for hotel discounts at this destination.
On the international front, flights to Ireland, New Zealand and Colombia are all seeing increased competition thanks to new routes from major air carriers like United Air Lines, US Airways and American Airlines (for Ireland), Air New Zealand (for New Zealand), and JetBlue Airways, LAN, Spirit Airlines, Taca, Avianca and American Airlines (for Colombia). In addition, recent tourism rallies in both New Zealand and Ireland have encouraged hotel and tour operators to drum up aggressive deals for visitors.