Cities Weigh Fiscal Benefits of Spring Break

We found rooms available for spring break at the Ritz-Carlton Fort Lauderdale for as low as $299 a night on the travel Web site Expedia (EXPE). Spring-break travelers can also still find rooms at the newly renovated Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel & Yacht Club for $159 and at the cheap-chic Tropic Cay Beach Resort Hotel for $107.

Young Americans have been heading to Mexico in recent years to escape U.S. liquor laws. While struggling college students head to Cancun and Rosarito Beach in search of affordable accommodations, the rich ones head further south to Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. Resorts such as the Fairmont Acapulco Princess and Boca Chica Hotel are getting glitzy remodels to attract travelers under 40.

Mexico has suffered from a spate of bad publicity recently, including a U.S. State Department warning issued last month to warn students of increased violence involving drug cartels. The warnings are prompting some parents to subsidize spring-break trips to pricier destinations to ease fears and jitters.

One such destination is Playa Blanca, Panama, where Nikki Beach Hotels and Resorts will open a hotel and beach club later this year. The new site from the resort chain known from St. Tropez to St. Barts will overlook the beach on Panama's Pacific coast.

If Nikki Beach is too pricey, beach bargains in Panama can still be found at established properties like the Intercontinental Playa Bonita Resort or the Playa Blanca Resort, where rooms can be found as cheap as $89 per night. Panamanian businesses accept the U.S. dollar so no need to buy travelers checks or worry about currency conversions.

If you want to stay in the U.S. for spring break, Las Vegas is cheaper than ever. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and MGM Mirage's(MGM) Mandalay Bay are hosting massive weekend parties even if the temperatures have yet to top 80 degrees. Hotels enjoy the added business while parents love the 21-and-over age restrictions enforced by casino security.

MTV, a unit of Viacom(VIA), will keep its spring-break celebration in America this year, choosing Panama City, Florida. MTV will host free concerts by artists like Flo Rida, Lil Wayne and the All-American Rejects.

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