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Sunshine and exotic locations on the list for NYE destinations

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - As 2016 comes to an end, the countdown is on for Canadians planning a New Year's Eve getaway. According to KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine, Canadian NYE travel searches have already increased by 10 per cent from last year. Prior to this year, Canadians showed a decrease of 11 per cent in interest in NYE travel1.

To discover where Canadians will be when the ball drops, KAYAK explored its searches to forecast national travel trends kicking off the New Year:

  • Chilly Canadians welcome 2017 with sun 2
    • With sunshine locations making up the majority of Canada's top 10 destinations for NYE, bundled-up Canucks are looking to celebrate in snow-free hot spots.
      • Florida rays continue to attract Canadians with Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Miami taking up 3 spots in the top 10 positions, taking residence in second, seventh and ninth positions, respectively.

  • Untraditional NYE destinations are on the rise 2
    • More Canadians are looking to raise a toast to 2017 in an exotic location, with double the interest in NYE destinations like Dubai, Guatemala, Reykjavik, Seoul and Madrid compared to last year.

  • Vancouver and Toronto defend their titles of top Canadian destinations 2
    • While these two cities continue to reign as most popular travel locations for Canadians travelling domestically, Kelowna, B.C. has made an impressive showing with almost 70 per cent increase in NYE interest from last year.

"This year more than ever, we're witnessing the role New Year's Eve plays in providing Canadians with a much needed escape from the snow, the cold and the stress of the holidays," said David Solomito, VP North America Marketing, KAYAK. "We understand that after the festive season budgets can be tight, and we would encourage travelers to begin planning now to discover cost-saving destinations. By turning to tools like Price Alerts, you can set it and forget it with alerts coming to you when prices change."

 KAYAK unveils city-specific travel plans on where Canadians are ringing in the New Year 2:

  • CALGARIANS SAY TURN UP THE HEAT
    For the fourth consecutive year, Hawaii is the NYE destination of choice for Calgarians and since 2015 interest in Honolulu has soared by 44 percent.

  • EDMONTON CELEBRATES WITH SUNGLASSES
    More and more Edmontonians are breaking from the dead of winter with sun-filled Los Angeles experiencing a hot 37 per cent increase in search from last year.

  • OTTAWA SEEKS SUNSHINE
    With a 112 per cent increase in interest from last year, Orlando is the destination of choice for Ottawa residents and their SPF.

  • WINNIPEG KEEPS IT CLOSE TO HOME
    Travelers from Winnipeg are choosing to celebrate in Canada with Toronto remaining their destination of choice, at an impressive 46 per cent increase in interest from last year.

  • TORONTONIANS SEEK ADVENTURE NEAR AND FAR
    While Torontonians travelling for NYE have shown a growing interest in domestic locales like Vancouver and Calgary, international destinations have skyrocketed: Dubai searches have increased by 152 per cent and Reykjavik by 134 per cent.

  • VANCOUVER VENTURES SOUTH
    Vancouver may be the top destination for NYE in Canada, but residents think otherwise and have their sights set on San Jose, California with a 29 per cent increase in interest from last year. Vancouver is the most popular Canadian city for American NYE celebrations, followed by Montreal and Toronto.

  • MONTREAL LOOKS FOR EUROPEAN FLAIR
    Montrealers are seeking a Dutch New Year's experience this year as there is a 170 per cent increase in interest in Amsterdam compared to last year. However the French connection remains strong as Parisians will be making their resolutions with a French Canadian twist, as Paris is one of the top destinations for visitors to la belle province.

To discover more travel tips and best NYE flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages visit KAYAK.com

ABOUT KAYAK
KAYAK is the world's leading travel search engine. The company's websites and mobile apps allow people to easily search hundreds of travel sites at once for flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages. KAYAK processes 1.5 billion annual searches for travel information and operates more than 40 international sites in 20 languages. KAYAK is an independently managed subsidiary of The Priceline Group.

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1 Methodology: Search dates are from August 1, 2013 - November 27, 2016 YTD for each corresponding year. All Travel dates: December 26, 2013  - January 3, 2017 for each corresponding year.
2 Methodology: Search dates are September 1, 2016 - November 3, 2016 with travel dates starting December 26-31, 2016 - and ending dates January 1-4, 2017.

SOURCE KAYAK

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