PORTLAND, Ore. — Spring is coming, vaccines are here and vacations are being planned.
For Portland vacation rental company Vacasa, that means it is racking up reservations from travelers ready to get away as confidence grows that they can travel safely.
The company reported a new record high for new reservations in January, continuing a months-long rebound after people everywhere dropped vacation plans early in the Covid pandemic. Compared with last year, there has been a 43% increase in miles traveled in its top six states, according to company data.
SLIDESHOW: Top Oregon vacation destinations
Vacasa also demonstrated its recent confidence with an acquisition of Texas-based rival Turnkey last week.
“Consumer preference for professionally managed vacation rentals remains high and we are consistently outperforming last year for February and March," Vacasa Vice President of Revenue Management Natalia Sutin in an email. "Though we are seeing a longer booking window — or how far in advance a guest books before their stay — in the new year signifying increased confidence in travel, we still expect last-minute getaways to be a trend that continues this year."
In Oregon, it has seen an increase in bookings for its rental accommodations compared with last year, Sutin said.
"Many of Oregon’s beach destinations are seeing first-quarter occupancy rates that are 20 to 30 percentage points ahead of the same time last year," she said. "This jump, at least in part, is likely due to the added flexibility many people still have with remote work and school."
Vascasa recently shared its top destinations in Oregon in the first quarter of this year according to occupancy based on percentage of available unit nights books. Click through the slideshow above to see where travelers are going this year.
The Portland Business Journal is a KGW News partner.
