CHICAGO, June 20, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Many Americans are going beyond just the holiday to celebrate the Fourth of July and will be making the weekend a four-day escape this year. According to Orbitz.com booking data and a recent summer survey, Thursday, July 3 is the busiest travel day of summer and 60 percent of Americans are taking the day off to extend the long holiday weekend. 1 In fact, Fourth of July week is, on average, twice as busy for travel as any other week in the summer despite travel costs being up 10 percent year-over-year (5 percent for air, 5 percent for hotel).
"Once again July 3 is the busiest – and most expensive – day to fly over the holiday weekend so skip the lines and leave on the actual holiday," said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor of Orbitz.com. "On the Fourth of July, which falls on a Friday this year, there will be 30 percent fewer travelers at the airports and airline tickets will be around $15 cheaper per person."
Last-minute holiday revelers can still find hot deals. Orbitz.com is offering customers an extra 15 percent off participating hotels by using promotion code GOGOGO. 2 The code can be combined with other offers such as the Orbitz summer sale. Visit www.orbitz.com/sales to take advantage of the code before June 29, 2014. Travelers can also download the Orbitz Flights, Hotels, Cars app for iOS or Android to redeem the promotion code and to search for mobile-only discounts and deals available over the Fourth of July weekend.
This year's Orbitz Insider Index found long-time favorite Las Vegas still takes top billing as the number one destination. Americans are visiting other major metropolitan cities as well with New York, Chicago, and Orlando rounding out the domestic destinations in the top 10 list.
Highlights from the Orbitz Fourth of July Insider Index
- For travelers on a budget, Orlando continues to be the best deal for families traveling domestically with affordable hotel rates at $121 per night and airfare at $337, the least expensive of the entire top 10 list.
- Consumer demand is strong to Mexico this Fourth of July weekend. Cities within Mexico account for half of the international destinations on the Insider Index. Hotel and airfare prices are down in the destination, on average.
- Sixty percent of the top 10 destinations are international versus 40 percent in 2013.
- Likely due to the weak dollar, travel to European destinations in the top 10 (Paris and London) is 12 percent more expensive with both air and hotel prices up this year.
| Orbitz.com Top 10 Fourth of July Destinations 3 | |||||||
| Rank | Destination | Avg. Airfare 2014 | Avg. Airfare 2013 | YOY Change | Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2014 | Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2013 | YOY Change |
| 1 | Las Vegas, NV | $381 | $341 | +12% | $122 | $104 | +17% |
| 2 | Cancun, Mexico | $536 | $557 | -4% | $237 | $266 | -11% |
| 3 | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | $642 | $691 | -7% | $259 | $253 | +2% |
| 4 | New York, NY | $362 | $296 | +22% | $269 | $252 | +7% |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $341 | $351 | -3% | $187 | $176 | +6% |
| 6 | Playa Del Carmen, Mexico | $536 | $557 | -4% | $235 | $258 | -9% |
| 7 | Riviera Maya, Mexico | $536 | $557 | -4% | $271 | $260 | +4% |
| 8 | Orlando, FL | $337 | $310 | +9% | $121 | $109 | +11% |
| 9 | London, UK | $1663 | $1440 | +15% | $291 | $253 | +15% |
| 10 | Paris, France | $1674 | $1564 | +7% | $266 | $212 | +25% |
Orbitz Top Five Destinations Every American Should Visit
Many travelers will tap into a tradition born and perfected in the U.S., by embarking on a road-trip to celebrate the nation's birth. Tornatore suggests the following top five destinations every American should visit based on their natural beauty, historical value, educational draw, and overall appeal as a vacation hot-spot:
- Estes Park, CO
Estes Park sits in the heart of the Rocky Mountains just 90 miles northwest of Denver. Majestic views can be enjoyed in every direction with gold-medal fishing rivers, iconic peaks and fertile valleys, and vibrant wildlife dotting the landscape. Rocky Mountain National Park is a short distance away, bordering the eastern side of the city. Average hotel rate: $185
- St. Louis, MO
Home to America's tallest man-made monument, the Gateway Arch, St. Louis offers a multitude of historical attractions from the historic Old Courthouse to the Museum of Transportation. Adventure seekers can tour the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and get a glimpse of where Lewis and Clark set out on their westward expedition or take in Forest Park, home to the 1904 World's Fair and one of the largest urban parks in the country. Average hotel rate: $166
- Charlottesville, VA
What would the Fourth of July be without a tribute to our forefathers? Home to three of the Founding Fathers to become President, Charlottesville offers a number of opportunities to relive the spirit of our past. Visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, or enjoy some true American cuisine at Michie Tavern (established in 1784). Average hotel rate: $132
- San Juan Islands, WA
Situated in the northern reaches of Washington State's Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands are a unique archipelago of over 450 islands, rocks, and pinnacles. Accessible by ferry or plane, and a quick day-trip from Seattle, this is one of the most beautiful, untouched areas of the Pacific Northwest. While sixty of the islands are populated, many are occupied by a scarce amount of houses, allowing visitors to take in the natural beauty that surrounds. Average hotel rate: $230
- Houston, TX
Home to the Johnson Space Center and Mission Control for all U.S. manned space missions, Houston boasts an out-of-this world experience for travelers. Dozens of state-of-the-art exhibits, hands-on activities and films help you explore the legend and lore of the great beyond. Be sure to tag along on the NASA Tram Tour, which takes travelers to Mission Control as well as Rocket Park, where original space program rockets can be viewed. Average hotel rate: $110
1 The Orbitz.com summer survey was fielded by Orbitz from April 14-18, 2014 via insightexpress. 751 U.S. adults aged 18 and older who had traveled within the past 12 months were surveyed.
2 Visit orbitz.com/sales for terms and conditions. Exclusions apply.
3 The Orbitz Insider Index 2014 Top 10 July 4th Destinations were ranked based on all hotel bookings made on Orbitz.com for travel between July 3-7, 2014.
About Orbitz.com
Orbitz.com is a leading travel website that enables consumers to search for and book a broad range of hotels , flights , car rentals , cruises , vacation packages and destination activities . Since launching in June 2001, Orbitz.com has become one of the world's largest online travel sites. Orbitz.com now offers the groundbreaking Orbitz Rewards loyalty program — the only program where customers can earn rewards immediately on flights, hotels and packages, and redeem instantly on tens of thousands of hotels worldwide. Use the Orbitz Rewards Visa® Card to earn even more rewards. Orbitz.com is the #1 way to book travel on mobile devices, be it using our apps (get them at www.orbitz.com/mobile ) or our smartphone-optimized website (m.orbitz.com), both of which are tailored for smartphones and tablets. The Orbitz app for iPhone is one of only 48 apps out of nearly 900,000 available apps chosen by Apple to be inducted into its App Store Hall of Fame. Orbitz also ranks #1 in Online Travel Website Customer Satisfaction in the 2014 American Customer Satisfaction Index. Orbitz members get exclusive access to Insider Steals hotel deals, promotions and other saving opportunities. Follow Orbitz on Facebook , Twitter and through the Orbitz Travel Blog . Orbitz.com is operated by Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW ).
About Orbitz Worldwide
Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW ) is a leading global online travel company using technology to transform the way consumers around the world plan and purchase travel. Orbitz Worldwide operates the consumer travel planning sites Orbitz( www.orbitz.com ), ebookers ( www.ebookers.com ), HotelClub ( www.hotelclub.com ) and CheapTickets ( www.cheaptickets.com ). Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Partner Network ( www.orbitz.com/OPN ) delivers private label travel technology solutions to a broad range of partners including some of the world`s largest airlines and travel agencies, and Orbitz for Business ( www.orbitzforbusiness.com ) delivers managed travel solutions for companies of all sizes. Orbitz Worldwide makes investor relations information available at investors.orbitz.com .
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