By Shivansh Tiwary

June 25 (Reuters) - Heat warnings have made Americans

rethink their July 4th travel plans and triggered a rush to

cooler vacation spots, data from Booking.com showed.

Coastal destinations and ones that offer aquatic activities

have emerged as the top pick with one-third of Americans looking

for water-centric vacations, including floating yoga, the travel

booking website said in an email to Reuters.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

More than 100 million people across the U.S. were under heat

warnings as of Sunday, with cities on the East Coast bracing for

record-breaking temperatures as the heat dome causing the

dangerous conditions expands to the West Coast.

The scorching temperatures have prompted vacationers to

review their plans ahead of the 4th of July holiday, a time when

a significant number of Americans tend to travel.

BY THE NUMBERS

Nearly 64% of American travelers indicate that rising local

temperatures are influencing them to seek vacation spots with

bearable temperatures, data from Booking.com showed.

For the July 3 to July 7 period, Panama City Beach, Florida,

experienced a 32% year-over-year increase in searches, while

Myrtle Beach in South Carolina saw a 30% rise. These are among

other popular locations that have observed similar trends.

CONTEXT

Major U.S. airlines have predicted bumper travel demand for

the summer season. United Airlines expects this fourth

of July weekend to be its busiest on record and expects to fly

an average of 520,000 people every day during the period.

However, data from searches for accommodations demonstrate a

heightened interest in various destinations near water,

indicating a clear connection with the current heat wave.