CHICAGO
Holiday travelers will provide an economic boost to the New York region, with New York City ranking as a top destination for Christmas and New Year's according to new data released today by Orbitz (www.orbitz.com). The Orbitz Holiday Travel Insider Index analyzed hotel and flight booking data to rank the most popular holidays destinations for 2012 and the Big Apple came in second for both Christmas and New Year's, trailing only perennial family hotspot, Orlando.
Overall airfare for Christmas is up 8% year-over-year, while travelers heading to New York for Christmas can expect to pay 5% more for airfare than last year—yet another indicator of the strong NYC travel market, according to the Orbitz Holiday Travel Insider Index. Slightly higher holiday travel prices may come as no surprise, according to a survey conducted jointly by Orbitz and American Express Publishing. 71% of survey respondents said they think the cost of travel has risen since 2011 but only 12% are planning to cut back on their holiday travel spending.
"The demand for holiday travel is clearly outpacing any effect of higher prices in some markets," said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior travel editor for Orbitz.com. "For many Americans, travel is now part of the holiday tradition, whether visiting family or treating themselves to a great getaway. The convenience of shopping online makes it easier to find ways to save money like booking a less expensive destination or booking package deals that offer both great options and significant savings for travelers."
Orbitz 2012 Holiday Travel Insider Index
Orbitz has identified the top 10 destinations for the 2012 holiday travel season (www.orbitz.com). The Orbitz Holiday Insider Index provides the top 10 holiday destinations for Christmas and New Year's, evaluating the average airfare and daily hotel rates in each of the most popular markets. Key takeaways include:
Thanks in part to price drops, Orlando again takes the top spot. The family-friendly destination is seeing a 4% decrease in average airfare and 7% decrease in hotel stays over Christmas. Airfare prices are higher across the board during Christmas, with Orlando's average airfare $412 for Christmas as opposed to $291 for New Year's.
Four of the Top 10 destinations are offering hotel rates less than $150 a night on average over Christmas. San Juan is experiencing a 12% decrease in hotel daily rate, great for those seeking a warm weather getaway over the holidays.
Travelers looking to avoid the crowds over Christmas should plan to hit the road on Christmas or Christmas Eve. The busiest travel days this Christmas are Dec. 22, 23 and 26.
Those eager to retreat to warm weather destinations like Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, or even Las Vegas to ring in the New Year are benefiting from varying year-over-year decreases in average hotel daily rates.
Hotel stays in Orlando and Las Vegas are both down 8% compared to 2011, while daily hotel rates in other popular New Year's Eve getaways like Cancun and Los Angles have gone up by 17% and 14% respectively.
