All signs point to a strong summer season as Cancun has been named the top international destination for summer travel by Orbitz. The Orbitz Summer Travel Insider Index analyzed air and hotel booking data from Orbitz.com and picked the 10 most popular summer destinations. Cancun was ranked number three behind Orlando and Las Vegas and was the only international destination named. Smith Travel Research (STR,) an American based company that tracks supply and demand data for the global hotel industry, also reported increased hotel occupancy in the destination.

Orbitz Summer Travel Insider Index’s top ten destinations were ranked based on all air bookings made on Orbitz.com for travel between June 1 and August 31, 2013.

According to STR, Cancun’s hotel occupancy in the first three months of the year has been stronger than any January – March period going back to 2007, the destinations most successful year. STR reported that 79% of Cancun hotel rooms were occupied during the first quarter of this year, a busy time that encompasses winter and New Year’s travel, spring and Easter holiday and the increasingly popular Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival.

With connections added just in time for the summer, including new flights from Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans and an added Spirit Airlines’ connection from Dallas Ft. Worth to Cancun, it is now easier than ever to visit the destination.

Summer is one of the most exciting times to visit Cancun, as hundreds of Whale Sharks flock to Cancun’s turquoise waters from mid-May to mid-September to feed on the abundant supply of plankton. Sea Turtle nesting season will bring hundreds of turtles to Cancun’s beaches to lay the next generation.

As a top entertainment destination, Cancun also offers visitors the opportunity to rock out at Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort with the musical spectacle, Cirque Dreams Rocks from June 28 – August 11, and sing along with the Beach Boys, winner of the Grammy “Lifetime Achievement Award” on August 6. Oasis Resorts recently showcased the Village People on May 3 as part of their Flower Power Fest that had guests grooving the night away with hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.cancun.travel