New York edges out Las Vegas as NYE hotspot

New York has edged out Las Vegas as the most popular place to spend New Year's in the US for the first time in seven years, according to new data released by a travel booking website December 27.

New York has edged out Las Vegas as the most popular place to spend New Year's in the US for the first time in seven years, according to new data released by a travel booking website December 27.

As the world edges closer to ringing in 2012, it seems that American revelers would most like to see the ball drop in New York, ahead of watching fireworks exploding over the Strip, according to travel booking firm Priceline.com.

It's the first time that New York City has topped the list of most popular destinations for US travelers, and the Big Apple has a particularly strong showing this year -- NYC neighborhoods took seven of the top ten spots, which were calculated by looking at the number of hotel booking enquiries processed by Priceline.

Priceline's Brian Ek said that New York City will be helped this year by a weather forecast that calls for higher than usual temperatures over the holiday weekend.

Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South was pushed to second place, with Las Vegas, Strip North in fourth place -- the only non-New York or Las Vegas destination to make the top ten was New Orleans' French Quarter, which placed eighth.

Priceline's sister firm Agoda.com performed the same calculation for Asia-based travelers, basing its rankings on actual hotel bookings to reveal that Bangkok will be the most popular Asian destination to see in the beginning of 2012.

The Thai capital, which has seen serious flooding over the past few months, managed to beat Singapore and Hong Kong to the top spot for New Year's, Agoda said.

A spokesperson for the firm said that the interest was likely due to a ready supply of high-end hotel rooms at 'deeply discounted' rates following recent events in the city.

Priceline.com's Top New Year's Destinations for US Travelers

New York City, Times Square/Theater DistrictLas Vegas, Strip Vicinity SouthNew York City, Midtown WestLas Vegas, Strip NorthNew York City, Midtown EastNew York City, Central Park SouthNew York City, Madison Square Garden/Convention Center AreaNew Orleans, French QuarterNew York City, Empire State Building AreaNew York City, Chelsea AreaNew Orleans, Downtown AreaNew York City, Hell's KitchenLas Vegas, Strip Vicinity NorthChicago, North Michigan Avenue/River North AreaNew York City, Upper East Side

agoda.com's Top New Year's Destinations for Travelers in Asia

BangkokSingaporeHong KongKuala LumpurPhuket, ThailandBali, IndonesiaChiang Mai, ThailandTaipeiSeoulMacau