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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Steve Cox of Chicago soaked up some sun Thursday while floating in the water off Kuhio Beach in Waikiki.
The mainland’s freezing weather has boosted travel to warm destinations including Hawaii, by 38 percent.
Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Florida and California have shared the wealth spawned by the misery of especially cold weather, according to online travel community Jetsetter.com.
Hotel rooms in those destinations also have become more expensive, in some cases.
"Hotels in most of these locations have taken advantage of the fact that travelers are more than eager to trade frostbite for sunshine and have increased their rates by as much as 20 percent," said Shawn Stewart, Jetsetter.com general manager, in a statement.
The increase was shown via bookings made through the Jetsetter website, which is a unit of TripAdvisor Inc.
