| Spring break 2009 will most likely be another week | | | | existed in Panama City and Daytona turned into |
| of insane partying if the pattern holds true. The | | | | kidnappings and rape for spring break in Mexico. |
| question is where. | | | | Hotels were being sued right and left. The police had |
| A spring break destination can be popular one year | | | | to more than double their staff during spring break to |
| and dry the next. Sometimes it's hard to tell where | | | | handle all of the late night calls. It became worse than |
| everyone is going. You don't want to spend your | | | | spring break in Florida and Mtv decided to stop |
| hard earned money on a spring break trip that will | | | | setting up shop in Cancun soon after. Just when |
| consist of mostly families. So how do we predict the | | | | everyone thought it couldn't get any worse, the eye |
| future? | | | | of a massive hurricane moved directly over Cancun |
| First, we take some advice from the stock market | | | | and hotel owners were left with five feet of |
| and look at the trend. Panama City and Daytona was | | | | standing water in the hotel lobby areas. Major water |
| the destination of choice fifteen years ago. It was a | | | | and wind damage was present at every hotel. This |
| cheap spring break package. You could jump in your | | | | was the first time a hurricane had hit them in many |
| car and drive down. All you had to worry about was | | | | years. Most hurricanes take a caribbean path, this one |
| finding a hotel room that wasn't sold out for your | | | | did not. Almost two years have gone by and Cancun |
| week in March. My how things have changed. 1997 | | | | is still cleaning up from the devastation left from that |
| saw a shift from Florida spring break destinations to | | | | hurricane. |
| Cancun, Mexico. The hotels in Panama City and | | | | March 2007 saw a near 100% shift to the Bahamas. |
| Daytona were increasing their prices dramatically in | | | | Hotels in Florida and Mexico saw plenty of empty |
| March. It was almost more cost effective to book a | | | | rooms during March, but hotels in the Bahamas were |
| trip to Cancun. Also, Panama City Beach and Daytona | | | | sold out before November 1, 2006. The same |
| Beach had become a very dirty and dangerous place. | | | | situation occurred in March 2008. Every hotel on the |
| Violent crimes during spring break had escalated to | | | | island was sold out prior to November 1, 2007. The |
| the point where most hotels no longer allowed | | | | Bahamas became the first choice for many college |
| anyone under 21 to check into the hotels during the | | | | spring breakers because of two things. First, the price |
| month of March. Parents didn't want their children to | | | | was right. They could cruise to the Bahamas, spend a |
| fall victim to the dangers of those destinations and | | | | week partying it up in paradise, and cruise back for |
| their children felt the same way. | | | | around $350 per person total. They had been paying |
| March of 1997 saw a full shift to Cancun, Mexico. It | | | | near or over $1000 for a 5 to 7 day spring break |
| was ten times prettier than Florida destinations and | | | | package to Cancun. Most spring break students ask |
| the hotel owners let the college spring break | | | | the question "why didn't we do this last year?" They |
| students pretty much get away with murder unlike | | | | found a safe, cheap, gorgeous destination. The |
| hotels in the states. Mtv helped fuel the fire by | | | | parents liked it because it was a few miles off the |
| shooting on location. They were responsible for | | | | coast of Florida. |
| bringing thousands of college students to Cancun | | | | Based on historical data, the Bahamas will be the |
| each year. A bidding war occurred (much like the | | | | destination of choice for spring break 2009. If last |
| Olympics) between the hotels. They all wanted Mtv | | | | year holds true again, most of the popular hotels will |
| to set up their music events on their beach and | | | | be sold out before November 1, 2008. Research |
| advertise their hotel during spring break. | | | | early, book early, and make this spring break the |
| Unfortunately, it all came to an end in 2006. The | | | | best ever. |
| record number of robberies and vandalism that | | | | |