RICHMOND, Va., January 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Roses are red, oceans are blue –Valentine’s Day travel is heating up this year as couples jet set mostly to desert-cities and island hot-spots to celebrate their love. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday this year, overall bookings are up nearly 50% compared to last year according to new data from Allianz Partners, a global leader in travel insurance and assistance services.  

After reviewing more than 1.6 million itineraries* for roundtrip flights departing U.S.
airports between Friday, February 6 and Thursday, February 12, with a return date between Saturday, February 14 and Wednesday, February 18, the travel insurance and assistance company noted that 77% of the itineraries are for domestic travel (up 5% from last year) and 23% are for international trips (down 5% from last year). The data also revealed travelers’ top picks for a romantic getaway in honor of the sweet holiday.

Allianz Partners’ annual ranking of top destinations for Valentine’s Day indicates continued momentum in consumer travel demand surrounding the Valentine’s Day weekend. When looking at the weeks immediately before and after the holiday in 2026, overall travel has increased by approximately 20 – 25%, underscoring sustained interest beyond the single holiday travel.

For the sweethearts staying stateside for their romantic getaway, Phoenix remains the top destination, followed by Florida rounding out the top three spots, with Orlando and Miami. At the same time, travelers are booking trips to New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Honolulu. Tampa stands out as a new addition to this year’s rankings, marking a shift from past travel patterns.

International travel remains strong year-over-year, with bookings up 22%. Among the top international destinations, France and England posted the largest year-over-year gains, rising 39% and 32% respectively, accounting for 3% and 5% of international bookings. However, Mexico represents the largest share of international travel at 31%.

Mexico continues to dominate international travel interest, with Cancun, San José del Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta ranking as the top three international destinations. The remaining top international destinations span both leisure and urban travel, including London, Punta Cana, Paris, Mexico City, Liberia (Costa Rica), the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Oranjestad (Aruba). Notably, the U.S. Virgin Islands appears on this year’s list after not ranking among top destinations in prior years.

“Valentine’s Day has become an increasingly popular moment for travel, especially for couples planning romantic getaways,” said Emily Hartman, General Manager at Allianz Partners. “As travelers plan these special trips, travel insurance can play an important role in helping protect pre-paid expenses and provide support when unexpected disruptions like trip delays, cancellations, or lost baggage arise.”

Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Partners and available travel policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.  

^{*Methodology: The data of U.S. travelers’ 2026 Valentine's Day plans was gathered by analyzing the number of customers that went through the online booking process of airfare and package paths for partners offering Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance, to generate itineraries for roundtrip flights departing from U.S. airports from 2/6/2026 –2/12/2026, returning 2/14/2026-2/18/2026. In total, over 1.6M itineraries were analyzed using this methodology.}