'Travel trends for the upcoming long weekend are reflective of the holiday itself, and possibly the economy,' said Brian Ek, general manager of PriceBreakers(R), priceline.com's last-minute travel deals service. 'Cities that offer free entertainment in the form of fireworks, music, arts and other holiday-themed events are big draws. Beaches, which tend to be budget-friendly getaways, are also popular.'
This year's Top 50 July 4th Destinations list saw several changes over 2007. In the top spot is New York's Times Square/Theater District. After capturing the top spot in 2006 and 2007, Chicago's Millennium Park, Loop and Grant Park Area slipped this year to the number #4 spot. However, the news was mixed for The Big Apple. In 2007, New York City took four of the top 10 spots on the list, this year it occupied two spots (#1, #3).
Downtown St. Louis made a strong showing on the list at #7. The city's Fair Saint Louis and LIVE on the Levee recently announced that the festival had moved locations from the levee to downtown due to flooding. Downtown Milwaukee made the list (#25) for the second year in a row. The city is hosting its musical Summerfest 2008 on the shore of Lake Michigan. And time-honored tourist attraction Niagara Falls is in vogue this year, with St. Catharines on the Canadian side taking spots #15 and #35.
Internationally, London grew in popularity for the third year in a row. This year, it took four spots on the list (#36, #42, #44 and #50), compared to three spots in 2007 (#12, #31, #32), and one spot (#35) in 2006.
The Priceline Top 50 Destinations List for July 4th 2008
1 New York City, Times Square/Theater District
2 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South
3 New York City, Chelsea Area
4 Chicago, Millennium Park. Loop & Grant Park Area
5 Washington, DC, White House/Downtown
6 New Orleans, Downtown/Convention Center
7 St. Louis, Downtown
8 Boston, Copley Square/Theater District
9 San Francisco, Union Square West
10 San Diego, Coastal Area
11 New York City, Central Park South
12 Chicago, North Michigan Ave/River North Area
13 Seattle, Downtown
14 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity North
15 St. Catharines, Niagara Falls
16 New York City, Empire State Building Area
17 Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area
18 New York City, Midtown East
19 Montreal
20 San Antonio, Downtown/Riverwalk
21 Orange County, Disneyland Area
22 San Francisco, Union Square East/Embarcadero
23 San Francisco, Lombard Street Area
24 Orlando, Universal Studios/Sea World
25 Milwaukee, Downtown
26 San Diego, Downtown & Harbor Island
27 San Diego, Point Loma/Shelter Island/Old Town
28 New Orleans, French Quarter
29 Vancouver
30 Toronto, Downtown
31 Hilton Head Island
32 San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf
33 Monterey, Monterey/Pacific Grove
34 Nashville, Downtown/Vanderbilt/Metrocenter
35 St. Catharines, North Niagara Falls
36 London, Bloomsbury/Marble Arch
37 Orlando, Disney World Vicinity
38 Boston, Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall/Financial District
39 Oahu, Waikiki Marina Area
40 Virginia Beach
41 Philadelphia, Downtown
42 London, Regents Park/Baker St.
43 Quebec
44 London, Mayfair/Soho
45 Paris, Eiffel Tower/Grenelle/Montparnasse
46 New York City, Downtown/Soho/Financial District
47 Key West
48 Puerto Rico, San Juan
49 Myrtle Beach
50 London, Docklands Area
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