US DOMINATES HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS\’ LIST

Hotwire.com has unveiled its top 10 destinations where Canadians are vacationing this holiday season. It seems travellers are packing up and headed for the US, with destinations like Orlando, New York City and Las Vegas overtaking the previous popularity of domestic getaways. According to officials, the US has been a good deal for Canadians all year as many popular leisure destinations have dropped prices, attracting international travellers. Still, the mainstay Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa are still largely sought-after and offer great deals to make the season even brighter.

The sunny city of Orlando tops the list as the most popular holiday destination for Canadians, and New York City comes in second. Both cities are up two spots from last year’s number three and four destinations, respectively. Toronto drops down two spots to third, but continues to be the only Canadian destination in the top three for the second year in a row. Placing fourth on the list is Las Vegas (second last year) and coming in fifth is Vancouver (seventh last year), which is offering an average nightly rate of $92 — the third-best deal on the list. Sixth on the list is Montreal, which has fallen one spot from last year, followed by Miami and San Francisco, which have both risen up a spot since 2012. Rounding out the most popular holiday destinations are two newcomers — Ottawa, with its sub-$100 average rate, and Los Angeles.

\”Over the past year we’ve seen US cities grow in popularity, topping Thanksgiving’s most popular destination list as well, so it’s no surprise to see the trend continue for the December holidays,” said Pierre-Etienne Chartier, vice-president of the Hotwire Group. “Many of these over-the-border destinations offer plenty of family friendly activities and warmer weather — pair that with deep discounts and we certainly expect this trend to continue into the New Year.” (http://www.hotwire.com)