Hotwire Unveils Second Annual List of Top 10 Most Popular Destinations for Easter Travel

Canadians are Staying Closer to Home this Year as Egg-cellent Cities like Toronto and Vancouver Rise in Popularity

SAN FRANCISCO, March 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the top 10 most popular Easter destinations for Canadian travellers, based on hotel bookings. With many Canadians enjoying a long holiday weekend for Easter (either for Good Friday, Easter or both), there's no better time to pack up those Easter eggs for an unforgettable (re)treat. Compared to last year's list, travellers seem to be opting for more local trips in 2013, with national metropolitan hubs rising in popularity.

"The long holiday break presents the perfect chance for travellers to enjoy their Easter baskets in new, exciting destinations," said Pierre Etienne-Chartier, Vice President of the Hotwire Group. "With big-city business travel slowing down over the holiday, lots of high-demand cosmopolitan areas have rooms to spare. Hotels are offering spectacular deals, and incredible destinations like Toronto, Montreal, Orlando, Chicago and Minneapolis are offering rooms for $80 or less."

To compile the list, Hotwire.com took a look at the top 10 most popular destinations as booked by Canadian travellers over the Easter holiday:

Rank	Hotel Market	Average Nightly Rates on Hotwire*
1.	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	$80
2.	New York City, New York	$201
3.	Montreal, Quebec, Canada	$80
4.	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	$82
5.	Seattle, Washington	$97
6.	Las Vegas, Nevada	$81
7.	Boston, Massachusetts	$97
8.	Orlando, Florida	$73
9.	Chicago, Illinois	$80
10.	Minneapolis, Minnesota	$54

With three domestic destinations placing on the list, Canada offers deep discounts for tourists this Easter. Displacing last year's top destination of New York is Toronto—home of the Canadian National Tower and the Maple Leafs hockey team. Montreal also makes a strong showing this year, reclaiming third place on the list. Meanwhile Vancouver, with its thousand-acre Stanley Park and beautiful views of the Capilano Suspension Bridge, hops up two spots from last year to fourth place. Each city also has Easter egg hunts, family-friendly activities and plenty of restaurants offering special holiday brunches to enjoy.

For U.S.-bound travelers, coastal destinations are all the rage this Easter. New York, Seattle, Boston and Orlando have all placed on the list for the second year in a row. Visitors to the Big Apple can enjoy the beauty of Central Park in the spring, while travelers to Orlando can end their Easter breaks with a short drive to Daytona Beach to get a perfect tan. Also up in ranking this year is Las Vegas, offering sunny weather and over-the-top Easter decorations in destinations such as the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

*The 10 most popular Easter destinations and average prices are based on Hot Rate hotel bookings across all star categories made on Hotwire.com on 3/11/13 for travel between 3/29 - 4/1/13.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Launched in 2000, Hotwire, Inc. obtains deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars. Hotwire.com is an award-winning website and Hotwire, Inc. is an operating company within the Expedia, Inc. group CST # 2029030-50. NST: 20003-0209. For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com. Hotwire.com operates sites in 8 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no and www.hotwire.com/dk. In addition to Hotwire, The Hotwire Group of websites includes: www.hotwire.com and www.carrentals.com.

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