Americans Look to Escape the "Polar Vortex" for the 2014 Holiday Season

Tropical getaways top the travel wish list this year, but tradition still reigns supreme

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Dec 08, 2014, 09:00 ET

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Dec. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Memories of the 2013 "Polar Vortex," which brought record low temperatures and snowfall to North America last winter, are driving more Americans in search of warmer climes this upcoming holiday season. According to Travelocity data, the share of Travelocity's total bookings for tropical destinations is up significantly for the 2014 holidays versus the same timeframe in 2013. Some of these include:

Destination	Share of bookings
Cayman Islands	Up 96%
Dominican Republic	Up 76.8%
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico	Up 83.6%
Aruba	Up 59.5%
Bahamas	Up 50.2%

Other popular warm weather destinations for the 2014 holiday season include Cancun (share up 21.3 percent) and Jamaica (share up 26.9 percent).

"The frigid, snowy weather that covered much of the U.S. during the end of 2013 seems to be influencing people's holiday travel destinations for 2014," said Courtney Scott, senior editor, Travelocity. "While most Americans continue to enjoy a traditional holiday season with family, we are seeing definite growth in travelers looking to escape the cold and enjoy the holidays in a warm destination."

Holiday Traditions

However, even with the growth in travel to international beach destinations, overall Americans remain firmly traditional in their holiday travel plans. In fact, between 2013 and 2014, the top five holiday travel destinations have remained constant:

South Florida
New York City
Los Angeles
Orlando
Denver

Scott continues, "New York City, Denver and even 8^th-ranked Chicago still rank highly in American's travel destinations indicating that a large percentage of people stick with tradition, spending the holidays with friends and family – even if that means braving the winter chill."

Travelocity's Best Beach Lovers Deals

Making it easy to find and book just the right holiday beach getaway, Travelocity's "Best Beach Lover Deals" page is available at http://www.travelocity.com/beach and includes some of the best sand and surf destinations and offers.

About Travelocity
Travelocity wants to inspire you to "Go & Smell the Roses" and is dedicated to being your kindred spirit – a travel companion and a travel instigator, roaming the world beside you while helping make your traveling experience memorable with innovative apps, competitive prices and 24/7 customer service. Based in Southlake (Dallas/Fort Worth), Texas, Travelocity is owned by Sabre, a global technology company whose innovative technology is used by approximately one billion people around the world to plan, book and get to their destination at a time and price that's right for them.

Contact:
Jina Michael
Citizen Relations
310.698.9009
[email protected]

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SOURCE Travelocity