Forget the beach; send your clients to the big city

It’s the last beach weekend of the season. But when you recommend a destination, know that most people would rather be looking at the skyscrapers than at the sea.

A Priceline list of top destinations for Labor Day weekend, this year and for the past 11 years, underscores the draw of the big city. This year’s top draw is New York’s Midtown West, where the only thing in waves is the traffic, and the only white caps are on tourists’ heads.

Runner-up is Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue area, and coming in third is Las Vegas’s North Strip. 

Priceline’s Top 50 Labor Day list is based on 30,000 hotel room booking requests made on priceline.com. 

Priceline’s Travel Ekspert Brian Ek says allure of the big city is the many different things there are to do.  

"The bigger cities offer indoor and outdoor fun, including sightseeing, sporting events, restaurants, museums, theater and back-to-school shopping," he notes.

Over more than a decade, New York City reigns supreme as the number-one most popular destination–even in 2003, despite media images of a darkened Manhattan after a late-summer blackout paralyzed the city.

It is followed by Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, San Diego, and New Orleans.  

New Orleans is back in the top 10 this year for the first time since 2003. The top-ranking beach escapes are is the Oahu Waikiki Beach Area, at number 4, and Maui’s Ka’anapali – Lahaina at #19.

Outside of U.S. destinations, Montreal and Quebec made the list, and Paris was the only European destination, at number 16.

Here’s the Top 50 to consider when your clients ask for advice:

Priceline’s Top 50 Labor Day Destinations for 2013

#1        New York City, Midtown West

#2        Chicago, North Michigan Ave/River North Area

#3        Las Vegas, Strip North Area

#4        Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area

#5        San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf

#6        New York City, Upper East Side

#7        New York City, Times Square/Theater District

#8        New York City, Midtown East

#9        Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South

#10      New Orleans, French Quarter

#11      Chicago, Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area

#12      San Diego, Coronado

#13      Las Vegas, Fremont Street Vicinity

#14      Atlanta, Buckhead Area

#15      Atlanta, Downtown

#16      Paris, Champs Elysees/Arc De Triomphe

#17      Austin, Downtown

#18      Portland, Downtown

#19      Maui, Ka’anapali – Lahaina

#20      Boston, Boston Common/Theater District

#21      Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place

#22      Chicago, McCormick Place

#23      Orange County, Disneyland/Anaheim Convention Center/Garden Grove

#24      Boston, Harbor Front/Aquarium

#25      Seattle, Seattle Center/Space Needle

#26      San Francisco, Union Square East

#27      Newark, Jersey City/Hoboken/Weehawken

#28      San Diego, Downtown/Harbor Island

#29      New York City, Central Park South

#30      Los Angeles, Downtown

#31      St. Catharines, Niagara Falls

#32      Charleston, Downtown

#33      Pittsburgh, Downtown

#34      Washington, DC, Downtown

#35      Buffalo, Niagara Falls

#36      New York City, Financial District

#37      Boston, Seaport District/Convention Center

#38      Toronto, Downtown

#39      Montreal, Downtown

#40      San Francisco, SOMA/Moscone Center

#41      Virginia Beach

#42      Boston, Copley Square/Back Bay

#43      Los Angeles, Beverly Hills/West Hollywood

#44      Vancouver, Downtown

#45      Santa Barbara

#46      Seattle, University of Washington/Northgate

#47      Nashville, Downtown/Metro Center

#48      Philadelphia, University Area

#49      Savannah, Historic Savannah and Riverfront

#50      San Francisco, Union Square West/Nob Hill   

By Jessica Kao