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June 30, 2009

Norwalk, Conn – (Business Wire) – Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN – News) today released the results of its 6th annual survey of the 50 most-popular destinations for the upcoming Independence Day weekend. The survey is based on more than 30,000 hotel room booking request made by customers using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price hotel reservation service. Because the survey is based on credit card-backed booking requests, and not on consumer preference polls or votes, priceline.com believes the annual survey is one of the more accurate predictions of July 4th travel trends.

Commenting on the survey, priceline.com's in-house "Travel Expert" Brian Ek said, "The big surprise this year is the emergence of New Orleans' downtown/convention center area as the #1 destination. This is the first time New Orleans is in the top spot for the holiday and could signal the completion of the city's comeback as a tourist mecca following Hurricane Katrina."

Looking at the rest of the list, Ek commented, "Travel trends for the upcoming long weekend are reflective of the economy and the holiday itself. The list is heavy in destinations that are reachable by car for large segments of the population. Give the cold, we weather in the eastern half of the country, I was a bit surprised to see so many beach destinations on the list. However, a blanket and a good book do make for a cheap getaway, assuming the weather cooperates. With some smaller communities not being able to afford fireworks this year, the big cities with their free or low-cost holiday events are indicating strong turnouts."

The Top 10 for July 4th & Destin …

1. New Orleans, Downtown/Convention Center
2. Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South
3. Chicago, Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park Area
4. New York City, Times Square/Theater District
5. Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place
6. San Diego, Coastal Area
7. Chicago, N Michigan Ave/River N Area
8. New Orleans, French Quarter
9. Washington, DC, White House/Downtown
10. Boston, Copley Square/Theater District