Rather than reach for old standards like candy, flowers, lingerie or even worse, a gift card, last-minute Valentine’s Day shoppers can score the most points by presenting plans for a travel getaway later this spring, according to the Orbitz Insider Index. While a couple’s getaway ranks as the number one gift this Valentine’s Day, nearly 70 percent of respondents say they’ve never received a trip from their sweetheart.
“We see wrapping up a gift of travel as a double-dip strategy,” said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor for Orbitz. “You score points now for making the plans, and you score points again later when you take the trip. Taking the time to plan a romantic trip is really the gift that keeps on giving.”
Tornatore said that results from the Orbitz Insider Index survey are a road map for travelers looking to plan a romantic getaway, identifying the sexiest cities of 2014 in the U.S. and abroad. For the second consecutive year, Las Vegas ranks number one on Orbitz annual list of sexiest cities with Miami coming in at a close second. The French get it right yet again with Paris being the top pick as the sexiest city in the world.
Orbitz wants to know which sexy cities travelers are visiting this Valentine’s Day weekend. Tweet @Orbitz using #sexycity.
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Orbitz Sexiest Cities 2014 |
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| Rank | U. S. Destination | InternationalDestination |
| 1 | Las Vegas | Paris |
| 2 | Miami | Rome |
| 3 | NewYork | Cancun |
| 4 | San Francisco | San Jose |
| 5 | Los Angeles | London |
| 6 | Chicago | Toronto |
Most Popular Destinationsfor Valentine’s Day/President’s Day Weekend
As it relates to what travelers who already made plans for the 3-day weekend are doing, Orbitz found:
- The polar vortex seems to be driving travelers to warmer weather destinations this year, taking seven of the top 10 spots.
- With hotel price increases nearly across the board for Presidents’ Day, Honolulu is the only destination with a price decrease – coming in six percent under last year’s average daily rate.
- International destinations are a trend this dual holiday weekend, with three new additions – while last year’s list solely included domestic cities. Thanks to the white sandy beaches and warm water, Punta Cana and Cancun shot straight to the top three.
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Orbitz Top 10 Destinations for Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ |
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| Destination | Ranking | 2014ADR | 2013ADR | YOYChange |
| Las Vegas | 1 | $132 | $118 | +11% |
| Cancun, Mexico | 2 | $299 | $269 | +11% |
| Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 3 | $345 | $339 | +2% |
| New York City | 4 | $216 | $194 | +11% |
| Orlando | 5 | $128 | $122 | +5% |
| Honolulu | 6 | $220 | $235 | -6% |
| San Francisco | 7 | $199 | $153 | +30% |
| San Diego | 8 | $140 | $126 | +11% |
| Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | 9 | $144 | $132 | +9% |
| Chicago | 10 | $136 | $134 | +1% |
