Cheapflights.ca Spots March Travel Hot Spots

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Feb 25, 2014) - March is just days away and that means the official arrival of spring is in sight. For Canadians, that's very welcome news as this year's winter is really putting everyone to the test. In anticipation of the rush for spring getaways, the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, asked its data team to see which destinations jumped in popularity for Canadians looking to travel in March. The findings? The five destinations to make Cheapflights.ca's Top 5 March Travel Hot Spots are all southern destinations with warmer temperatures and plenty to do in March.

Whether planning travel for March Break, a grad trip, or simply a much needed getaway, Canadians were paying more attention than usual to the top five hot spots below. They are, in order, the destinations that saw the biggest surges in their rankings for March travel searches on Cheapflights.ca:

1. Myrtle Beach, S.C., USA - March might not be full beach season in Myrtle Beach but, in general, the sun will be shining. So it's a reasonable time of year to bring a bathing suit and certainly your sunscreen. It's an even better time of year to bring your golf clubs. This is serious golf country and, with average temperatures around 18° C, it's hard to imagine a more enjoyable time to be on the course. Both Porter and WestJet serve the airport, so it's an easy escape when winter seems like it may go on forever.

2. Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, USA - Kahului is the gateway to all that Maui has to offer from the beauty of the beaches to the height of Haleakala. This island getaway is popular all year round, though March marks the transition from the relatively rainy season to the sunshine of summer. It is also the final month of whale watching season and of the two-month Maui Whale Festival. Experts say 12,000-14,000 whales come to Hawaii between January and March each year and are particularly drawn to the waters off of Maui. Add in the Canadian families looking to make the most of March break and you get a good crowd.

3. San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA - There is no shortage of reasons to visit Puerto Rico in March. It's warm, sunny and dry. It's an accessible and affordable destination for families and students on break. And there's entertainment to fit almost any audience. From Festival Casals (Feb. 22 - March 15), which honours cellist Pable Casals, to the Carnaval de Ponce (Feb. 26 - March 4), the local party leading into Lent, to JazzFest (March 20 - 23), with its celebration of Latin musicians, there is barely a break in the beat. The best way to get some peace and quiet might actually be to drop by the PGA's Puerto Rico OPEN (March 6 - 9).

4. St. Petersburg, Fla., USA - The Tampa Bay area beckons with beaches and baseball in March. The small St. Petersburg - Clearwater International Airport takes great advantage of this, positioning itself as the fast and easy path to the beaches of the Gulf Coast. This airport, which is served primarily by budget airlines, cites strong recent growth numbers. It will be a long time before it challenges Tampa International as the areas dominant airport but, with non-stop flights from Toronto on SunWing, it's not surprising to see its popularity growing -- particularly now since the Blue Jays are in spring training all March in Dunedin, just 20 kilometres from the airport.

5. New Orleans, La., USA - Why March in New Orleans this year? Two words: Mardi Gras! Fat Tuesday itself lands on March 4 this year and the whole first weekend of March is parades, parties and people watching. Each day gets more festive, right up to the costumed madness of Mardi Gras Day. Not surprisingly, out-of-towners flock to the Big Easy ever year for the fun. Of course, St. Patrick's Day in New Orleans also turns into a party. Parades roll again but, along with green beads, expect to catch carrots, potatoes and the occasional head of cabbage -- all the fixings for your corned beef dinner.

Cheapflights.ca's Top 5 March Travel Hot Spots is available online at www.cheapflights.ca/travel/top-5-march-travel-hot-spots.

About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group
Momondo Group is an online travel media and technology company that is driven by the belief that an open world is a better world. The group now serves travel search and inspiration to over 15 million visitors a month -- plus 7 million travel newsletter subscribers -- via its Cheapflights (www.cheapflights.ca) and momondo (www.momondo.com) brands.

Skygate began the sourcing of complex air-travel data in 1992, while Cheapflights pioneered the online comparison of flight deals for users in 1996 and momondo launched meta-search in the Nordic countries in 2006.

The Group has offices in London, Copenhagen, Boston and Toronto, with a consumer base across more than 25 core international markets but users all over the world.

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