July 4 Vacation Rentals Surge at Atlantic Beaches But Soften in Cities: Exclusive

Americans are heading to New York City for the Fourth of July weekend, but they’re not booking short-term rentals as much as last year. 

New York City is losing out to Atlantic beaches this summer holiday season, according to data AirDNA will publish Tuesday. Coastal destinations are the most popular, with 1.63 million nights booked, up 7.7% over last year. Small city and rural destinations saw a jump of 10.6% over last year.

New York City has cracked down on short-term rentals. The supply of those for less than 30 nights dropped by 82.5% to 3,977 listings in May, according to booking data by AirDNA.

“New York, which used to be a top 10 market for July 4th, has dropped out and been replaced by the Delaware/Maryland Beaches. This shift continues the trend of growing popularity for Atlantic beaches, led by Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,” said a spokesperson for the short-term rental data provider.

Bookings for urban destinations overall saw a 10% year-over-year drop over the July 4th weekend. AirDNA attributes this to a drop in supply.

American Travelers Hit the Road for July 4th

Americans are traveling in record numbers for July 4th. According to last week’s AAA forecast, around 71 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period.

In addition, more Americans are taking advantage of the remote work flexibility to travel earlier, said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel.

Some of the travel boom can be attributed to improved consumer confidence, thanks to a strong economy. “Fares are a little bit more expensive, but it’s not stopping anybody,” said Twidale.

Over 5.74 million will fly this year, up 7% from last year and 12% from 2019, AAA said.

Over 60 million people will travel by car over Independence Day, up 2.8 million from last year. A softening in gas prices is helping to boost road trips this year. “Gas prices are very similar to last year. It’s not terrible. They’re averaging about $3.53 a gallon, said Twidale. “That’s really impacting the road trips in a positive way.”

RVShare, a platform for renting recreational vehicles, expects record bookings this year. “It’s gonna be a solid Fourth of July. It’s gonna be record-setting,” said Jon Gray, CEO of RVShare.