Central America and Mexico are rising up the ranks in popularity for travellers post-pandemic, say travel agents and tour operators.
New booking data from Hostelworld reveals that Central America has trumped Europe for hostel bookings for the first time in 2022.
Bookings to the region are up 40 per cent compared with 2019. But the surge in interest is highest among solo female travellers.
This may come as a surprise, given that several countries in Central America – which includes the countries Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize – have high violent crime rates that have deterred some travellers in the past.
British solo female travellers are the biggest fans, with their bookings soaring 78 per cent.
Mexico (up 79 per cent), Costa Rica (up 60 per cent) and Guatemala (up 55 per cent) are in Hostelworld’s top 10 trending destinations for solo female travellers in …