Casper Tops List For Flight Searches For Eclipse; Cheyenne Ranks No. 4
The international publicity about the total eclipse of the sun leads to a lot of people looking where to view it.
And they're looking at Casper first, according to the travel search site Cheapflights.com.
"You can see from the spike in volume that folks really got a case of eclipsemania, so we wanted to see what that meant for the towns in the trajectory of the sun on that day, or the shadow, more accurately," said Cheapflights.com spokeswoman Emily Fisher.
Casper spiked at 1,064 percent above the average of flight searches during the past six weekends, Cheapflights reports.
The company, Fisher said, has a team of researchers that looks for data trends, such as March Madness, Superbowl, major political conventions, reactions to election results, reactions to the travel ban, or events such like the opening of Cuba to travel.
The eclipse got Cheapflights.com's attention, too, she said. "This is a topic that warranted a deeper look."
The company said Casper is an ideal eclipse destination because of the high probability of clear skies that day and the city's 5,000-foot-plus altitude.
It also tossed in a few compliments to further entice tourists: "With its picturesque mountain scenery, fresh air, multitude of trails for hiking and biking and the North Platte River that flows right through the downtown area, Casper is the perfect getaway for anyone who likes to spend time outdoors."
Cheyenne made the top five at No. 4 with a 183 percent increase in flight searches.
The others are Redmond, Ore., with a 271 percent increase; Columbia, S.C., with a 245 percent increase; and Boise, Idaho, with a 153 percent increase.
Cheapflights.com did not delve deeper to determine whether the increase in searches resulted in higher airfares, Fisher said.
Higher airfares or not, prospective visitors should rethink their plans and fast, she said. "If you're thinking of trying to get to Casper right now for the eclipse, you probably going to need to be a bit flexible and plan a longer visit."