Hurricane Sandy drives boom in winter bookings despite shorter school breaks

Although the ravages of Hurricane Sandy had a devastating initial impact on the travel industry, delayed or canceled vacations appear to have created pent-up demand that is now working to the benefit of sun-and-sand spots in Mexico and the Caribbean.

… Post-storm school closings threw attendance calendars into disarray. Most states require school districts to be in session for 180 days.

In New York, for example, three vacation days were cut from the weeklong February break. Many teachers, administrators and parents had already made vacation plans based on the previous schedule.