New York is top July Fourth destination

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NORWALK, Conn., June 30 (UPI) -- New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington and Las Vegas are the top destinations for the Fourth of July, priceline.com says.

Brian Ek of priceline.com said its annual Top 50 Destinations list is based on hotel room booking requests made by customers using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price hotel reservation service.

Because the survey is based on thousands of credit card-backed booking requests, and not on consumer preference polls or votes, priceline.com believes the annual survey is one of the more accurate predictors of July Fourth travel trends, Ek said.

"This year, there were really two themes," Ek said in a statement. "Many travelers decided to visit cities like New York, Chicago, Boston and Washington, where there are big July Fourth celebrations planned. Others decided to escape the recent heat wave by heading for the beaches."

There were a few surprises on the list this year, Ek said.

"Because the Fourth falls on a Wednesday, many travelers are making a week's vacation out of it," he said. "And some are splurging a bit on their trips. Hawaii destinations are No. 6, No. 9 and No. 39. This is the first time I've seen Hawaii ranked so high, or so many times. Despite record high international summer airfares, London and Paris made the list, perhaps because of the recent strength of the dollar."