An overwhelming 88 percent of Americans plan to take a summer vacation this year, up 11 percent year-over-year, with more than half of travelers using reward points to book hotel and airfare.
According to new survey data released by Orbitz.com, Cancun is the top destination booked for this summer, moving up in the ranking from #3 last year.
Americans are keeping summer travel almost exclusively domestic this year. Cancun, Mexico is the only international destination and leads the top ten air travel list, followed by Las Vegas, Orlando, Seattle and Los Angeles.
While costs and the number of travelers are up over the previous summer, consumers are also willing to spend more on their trip this summer. Over half of travelers (51 percent) surveyed said they would spend $2,000 or more for their summer vacation versus 44 percent in 2013. Travelers on a budget said they would cash-in rewards points or buy food and eat some meals in their room instead of dining out to save money this summer.
Orbitz Insider Index: 2014 Top 10 Summer Destinations
| |||||||
Rank
|
Destination
|
Avg. Airfare 2014
|
Avg. Airfare 2013
|
YOY Change
|
Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2014
|
Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2013
|
YOY Change
|
1
|
Cancun
|
$530
|
$535
|
-1%
|
$242
|
$235
|
+3%
|
2
|
Las Vegas
|
$362
|
$335
|
+8%
|
$117
|
$106
|
+10%
|
3
|
Orlando
|
$330
|
$294
|
+12%
|
$119
|
$111
|
+7%
|
4
|
Seattle
|
$381
|
$399
|
-5%
|
$190
|
$180
|
+6%
|
5
|
Los Angeles
|
$371
|
$355
|
+5%
|
$175
|
$139
|
+26%
|
6
|
San Francisco
|
$387
|
$372
|
+4%
|
$225
|
$205
|
+10%
|
7
|
Denver
|
$302
|
$292
|
+3%
|
$156
|
$127
|
+23%
|
8
|
New York
|
$345
|
$292
|
+18%
|
$303
|
$275
|
+10%
|
9
|
Boston
|
$328
|
$318
|
+3%
|
$263
|
$247
|
+6%
|
10
|
Honolulu
|
$818
|
$729
|
+12%
|
$248
|
$215
|
+15%
|
According to the Orbitz.com summer survey, the majority of travelers prefer to take summer vacations in June and July (71 percent). For those that can hold out just a bit longer, Orbitz editors suggest traveling in August when there may be additional savings and far less crowds compared to the earlier summer months.
The Orbitz Insider Index 2014 Top 10 Summer Destinations were ranked based on all air bookings (standalone air and air booked as part of a package) made on Orbitz.com for travel between May 23 and Sept. 1, 2014. The year-over-year (YOY) percent change in average airfare and daily hotel rate was calculated based on the difference in average air and hotel pricing in each destination in 2014 vs. 2013 for travel between May 23 and Sept. 1, 2014 vs. May 24 and Sept. 2, 2013.
