By Michael Jahina
daily bruin contributor
mjahina@media.ucla.edu
The biggest dilemma many students face during winter quarter is not how to cram for three midterms in a day, but how to spend the final week of March – spring break.
The consensus is that the top spring break spot this year is once again Cancun, according to Travel Cuts and STA Travel, Westwood’s two travel agencies dedicated to students.
Both agencies said early January was the time to purchase spring break packages.
Prices have since risen dramatically and Travel Cuts’ “Suncoast Package” to Cancun has actually sold out.
Travel Cuts can still sell a trip to Cancun, but it won’t be the traditional spring break package.
“Cancun would be a little more expensive because it would be packaged individually,” said Travel Cuts Manager Rob Donaldson.
STA Travel said most students initially show interest in Cancun but end up considering other destinations such as Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta due to financial restrictions.
“Cancun is the one everyone wants to go on, though,” said STA Travel Manager Julie Thompson.
Both agencies cater primarily toward a clientele of UCLA students, with approximately 95 percent of Travel Cuts’ spring break sales coming from UCLA students and 85 percent for STA Travel.
Other popular destinations at Travel Cuts are Jamaica and Cabo San Lucas, while domestic destinations such as Hawaii and New York have been more popular with STA Travel.
Both travel agencies agree that anywhere in Mexico is still trendy.
However, some traditionally hot spring break spots are experiencing a change in appeal due to tragedies that occurred in recent years.
During last year’s spring break period in Cancun, there were two deaths, four injuries requiring medical evacuations and 360 arrests, according to the U.S. Consulate in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Previously, 140,000 students would go to Cancun during the two months which encompass U.S. universities’ spring breaks. Now, that number has dropped to 40,000, according to a spokesperson for the Office of Tourism in Mexico City.
Cancun also faces future factors that will be detrimental to its notoriously wild image, according to Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, a coalition of governors’ spouses, federal agencies and other organizations.
The coalition states that many hotels, bars and nightclubs catering to students during spring break have signed a “civility agreement,” which will compel companies to strictly enforce laws that were previously overlooked.
Although Cancun’s image may have slightly diminished, the city remains a top spring break destination.