Traveler's Edition
Our data experts at liligo.com have analyzed the top destinations of our US users for the last few days of the year. Which destinations did users enter most often in our search engine?
The study is based on the analysis of more than 38,000 searches launched in our search engine for travel between December 20, 2017 and January 5, 2018. Our experts then compared the data to the same period of the previous year. We also calculated the average return fares and created a ranking of the 10 best-value destinations for New Year’s Eve 2017.
Top 10 New Year’s destinations in 2017
Our study shows the continuing attraction of many traditional destinations to spend the last days of the year: Orlando, Las Vegas, New York City, Miami and Los Angeles all feature in the Top 10. Like in our ranking of the overall top searches for 2017, Florida is well represented: three of the top 10 destinations are in the Sunshine State.
Two international destinations also made it into the ranking, both in East Asia: Manila and Bangkok. This is especially notable since Paris is the only international destination to make the overall ranking for 2017. While it’s safe to assume that the number of searches for holidays in Bangkok was driven up by tourists seeking out Thailand’s tropical charms in midwinter, Manila’s fifth spot might be influenced by US-based Filipinos returning home for New Year’s, which is traditionally the main family holiday in the Philippines.
Destinations with the best value for money
In 2017, the average airfares for New Year trips saw a substantial increase from the previous year. The average price of a return ticket (to any destination) grew by 12% year-on-year from 2016 to 2017, from $402 to $451. In the most extreme case, the average return airfare to Chicago jumped by 69%, from $323 to $546.
However, the most popular New Year’s destinations stayed relatively stable: tickets to Orlando increased marginally from $302 to $303, Las Vegas went from $295 to $306 (+4%) and New York fares even fell from $556 to $486 (-13%). We wouldn’t bet on this trend continuing in 2018, though! That fare puts it in the 11th place, just behind Bangkok. The Thai capital was actually cheaper than many US cities for this period, which undoubtedly contributed to its popularity. Interestingly, the cheapest destination overall didn’t make it into the Top 10 of searches: Tampa was the insider’s tip for New Year’s Eve last year – perhaps something to keep in mind for 2018.
