Priceline NORWALK, Conn., June 25, 2013…New Orleans’ French Quarter edged out Chicago’s tony North Michigan Avenue as the most popular 4th of July destination for 2013. Last year’s top destination, New York City’s Midtown West, came in at #3 on this year’s list of the top 50 travel destinations for the upcoming holiday. For the first time, Paris neighborhoods took four spots on the Top 50 list.
Priceline.com’s Top 50 Destinations list is based on over 30,000 hotel room booking requests made by customers using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® hotel reservation service. The 2013 list is based off of credit card-backed booking requests on priceline.com, revealing actual consumer travel intent for the upcoming holiday.
“The industry is flooded with editorial opinion about the best travel destinations for this year, as well as a lot of consumer poll data that sheds light on where American travelers would like to spend their holiday, but we wanted to take a close look at actual booking intent to see where people are truly packing up for,” said Brett Keller, Chief Marketing Office of priceline.com. “We’re seeing some really unique trends this year, from the emergence of European destinations in the top ranks to the slow-down in beach-going travel. One thing is for sure —the appetite for travel this holiday season is robust.”
Priceline.com also reported today that the average domestic airfare for July is $402, which is 4.5% higher than last year. The average international airfare for July is $886, or 4.2% above 2012, based on tickets booked over the past 30 days. Looking ahead to August, the average domestic airfare is $362, or 4.3% higher than last year. The average international airfare for August 2013 is $860, which is 3% above last year.
Priceline.com’s Top 50 Destinations for July 4th 2013
#1 New Orleans, French Quarter
#2 Chicago, North Michigan Ave./River North Area
#3 New York City, Midtown West
#4 San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf
#5 Las Vegas, Strip North Area
#6 Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area
#7 Paris, Champs Elysees/Arc De Triomphe
#8 Paris, Opera Quarter East/Louvre Museum Area
#9 New York City, Upper East Side
#10 London, Westminster
#11 Orange County , Disneyland/Anaheim North
#12 San Diego, Coronado
#13 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South
#14 New York City, Times Square/Theater District
#15 Maui, Ka’anapali/Lahaina
#16 Portland, Downtown
#17 Chicago, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area
#18 St. Louis, Downtown
#19 Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place
#20 St. Catharines, Niagara Falls
#21 Washington, DC, White House/Downtown
#22 Montreal, Downtown/City Center
#23 Las Vegas, Fremont St. Vicinity
#24 San Diego, Downtown/Harbor Island
#25 San Francisco, Union Square East
#26 Buffalo, Niagara Falls
#27 Los Angeles, Downtown
#28 San Diego, Hotel Circle/Mission Valley West
#29 New Orleans, Downtown
#30 Boston, Boston Harbor Front/Aquarium
#31 Orlando, Downtown Disney/Lake Buena Vista
#32 Boston, Boston Common, Theater District
#33 Seattle, Seattle Center/Space Needle
#34 Chicago, McCormick Place/Medical District
#35 New York City, Midtown East
#36 Paris, Opera Quarter West/Jardin des Tuileries
#37 Vancouver, Downtown
#38 Hilton Head Island
#39 San Diego, Gaslamp Quarter/Convention Center
#40 Toronto, Downtown Toronto North
#41 New Orleans, New Orleans Airport Area
#42 Milwaukee, Downtown
#43 Virginia Beach
#44 Destin (FL)
#45 Paris, Eiffel Tower Area
#46 Ocean City (MD)
#47 San Diego, Point Loma/Shelter Island/Old Town
#48 Savannah, Historic Savannah and Riverfront
#49 London, Mayfair/Soho
#50 Charleston, Downtown
About priceline.com
Priceline.com, part of The Priceline Group [NASDAQ: PCLN], gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com’s famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available, or the recently added Express Deals®, where travelers can take advantage of hotel discounts without bidding.
For Press Information: Leslie Cafferty (203) 299-8128 leslie.cafferty@priceline.com
For Investor Relations: Matthew Tynan (203) 299-8487 matt.tynan@priceline.com
