Overview
- Expedia published the Island Hot List on Tuesday, July 21, showing searches for islands rose an average of 55% year‑over‑year and social mentions climbed 20%.
- St. Lucia is the fastest‑growing entry with a 125% surge in searches and is billed as the 'best for romantic escapes.'
- The main top‑10 includes Porto Santo, Praslin, Syros, the Lofoten Islands, Palawan, Culebra, Sanibel Island, Phu Quoc and Fiji, with each island given a travel‑style label such as wellness, nature or family.
- Expedia reported a separate 265% search spike for Cape Verde after the country’s World Cup run, a jump the company highlighted with a special 'football‑inspired' award and used to show how events can rapidly change interest; the list measures search growth, not actual visitor numbers.
- Regional patterns differ from the global list — for example, Australian searches favor New Caledonia (up about 75%) — and travel experts quoted by Expedia advise booking early and considering package deals because publicity-driven demand can quickly push up prices and local bookings.