We examined HomeToGo traveler search demand for spring break to collate a shortlist of the top beaches for this index. In order to rank these beaches, we researched 4 data points: the popularity among travelers searching for spring break accommodations, the average precipitation, the average temperature, and the median nightly price of accommodations. After obtaining the raw data, we assigned each data point a representative numerical value between 0 and 10, with 0 representing the lowest data point and 10 representing the highest data point. The hypothetical "perfect score" would be 40 out of 40. We used the following equation in order to calculate this for every factor:
Score(i) = 10 · (x(i) - xmin ) / (xmax - xmin )
Popularity Score: To provide an estimate of each beaches popularity and crowdedness, we examined the number of travelers searching on HomeToGo for stays between March 1st and April 30th, 2023. Each beach was then ranked from "#1 Most Searched" to "#70 least searched". The beach with the least amount of searches was given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 0 or higher.
Sunshine Score: We used historical weather data from Visual Crossing Weather to analyze the last year (March 1st 2022 - April 30th 2022) of data from the nearest weather station to each beach. The beaches with the lowest number of rainy and overcast days were given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 0 or higher.
Temperature Score: We used historical weather data from Visual Crossing Weather to analyze the last year (March 1st 2022 - April 30th 2022) of data from the nearest weather station to each beach. The beaches with the highest average temperature were given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 0 or higher.
Accommodation Price: We used internal HomeToGo data to find the median price per night for a vacation rental in the area between March 1st 2023 - April 30th 2023. The area with the lowest median price per night per person for a vacation rental was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining locations were awarded a score of 0 or higher. Data was collected in February 2023, prices are subject to change.