Not everyone is dreaming of a white Christmas this year. In fact, more than a few travelers are ditching snow altogether and heading for sun-drenched locations to celebrate the holiday.
And the most popular Christmas location of them all is perhaps the least traditional choice when it comes to a postcard-perfect Christmas getaway: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Yes, travelers are headed for the neon and nightlife of Sin City to celebrate Christmas 2025, according to a new data analysis conducted by Priceline. That’s good news for Las Vegas, which has not only been experiencing a tourism slump but has also been working to rebrand itself as the sports and entertainment mecca of the U.S.
View of the Bellagio Fountains and The Strip in Las Vegas (Photo Credit: Courtesy AdobeStock)
To identify the most popular Christmas 2025 travel locations, Priceline analyzed millions of searches for bookings between December 19 through December 28. This effort revealed where Americans are headed over Christmas.
Following close behind Las Vegas on the Priceline ranking is a more iconic Christmas locale, New York City. Rounding out the top five domestic destinations for Christmas travelers this year are the sunny cities Orlando, Florida; Anaheim, California (Disneyland for Christmas anyone?); and San Diego, California.
The Priceline data also reveals some of the locations around the country this Christmas that are the most budget-friendly. (Just in case you haven’t yet booked your holiday getaway). Topping the rankings on this front is Atlanta, Georgia, where average round-trip airfare for travel between December 19 and December 28 is coming in at just $305.
Also among the most affordable domestic destination are Denver, Colorado ($327 average ticket price); San Diego, California ($340 average ticket price); Tampa, Florida ($350 average ticket price) and Dallas, Texas ($358 average ticket price.)
Internationally, Tokyo continues to be the darling of the travel world, and that includes a Christmas time. It tops Priceline’s list of the most popular international destinations for the upcoming holiday. In fact, Japan made it onto Priceline’s top five most popular international destinations twice. Osaka, Japan landed in the fifth place slot.
The other three destinations leading the Christmas travel party internationally include Cancun, Mexico; Paris, France and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
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