School’s out — maybe
Kids aren’t the only ones eagerly awaiting the last day of school.
A whole industry of hotels, amusement parks and others are looking forward to it as well and they rely on data to tell them where to target their marketing and predict when demand will spike.
This year, there’s only a three-week window in late June and July when most U.S. public schools are on vacation, according to STR, a hospitality research company.
Some schools will start the 2018-2019 academic year as early as July 18; others will start as late as September 10. The last day for public schools in 2019 will range from May 15 to June 28.
The data comes from a survey of 1,200 public schools.
Families in New York and Chicago will have a few more weeks of vacation time since schools start after Labor Day. But in Los Angeles and Miami-Dade, schools will start in mid-August.
George Aguel, CEO of the tourism association Visit Orlando, says staggered breaks are good for his city, since travel from major markets is spread over a longer period.
But shifting vacations can hurt some destinations in the crucial summer season.
Kings Dominion, an amusement park in Doswell, Virginia, used to be open through Labor Day. But it will close Aug. 28-30 this year because so many Virginia schools now start in August.