2009 Top Travel Destinations
December 21st, 2008 | by AtlasSue | Posted in Africa Travel, Alaska Travel, Antarctica Travel, Australia Travel, Cape Town, Cruises, Food & Wine Vacations, Italy Travel, National Parks Travel, River Cruises, Sustainable Travel, US Travel
With 2009 right around the corner, it’s time to plan your next big getaway. Where are you looking forward to traveling next year? Here are some of the predictions, trends and statistics for travel in 2009.
The U.S. Tour Operators Association reported that for the 5th straight year, Italy placed first as the most popular international destination for vacation packages and tours. Modern Bride’s annual “World Best Honeymoon” survey showed Italy has even beaten out Hawaii as the #1 honeymoon destination. Recommend Magazine’s Readers Choice awards also listed Italy as the #1 destination. Croatia and China were the hottest up-and-coming countries for tours and travel packages. We were surprised not to see Dubai on the list.
Lonely Planet’s top 10 destinations: #1 U.S. with emphasis on National parks and Hawaii; #2 Mexico, with an emphasis on Mexico City and the Pacific Coast; #3 Argentina; #4 Japan; #5 India & #6 Canada (tied);#7 Australia #8 China (tied);#9 Spain and #10 France.
Frommers recently released its top destinations for 2009, focusing on international destinations that are affordable and seeking the newest “hot spots”. Washington D.C.; Waiheke Island, New Zealand; Saqqara, Egypt; Lassen Volcanic National Park, California; Istanbul, Turkey; Civil Rights Trail, USA; Cartagena, Colombia; Cape Town, South Africa; Berlin, Germany; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada
According to TripAdvisor, the top three predicted hot spots for North America travel are Florida, North Carolina and Alaska.
At Atlas Cruises & Tours, we are seeing a number of trends. Italy continues to be very popular. Consumers are booking specialty travel packages including river cruises, cooking and wine vacations, as well as religious travel. Several dates for the 2010 Passion Play are already sold out. We have been doing several blogs about sustainable travel in the past 6 months, as we are finding consumers more concerned in traveling with suppliers that are environmentally conscious, as well as the desire to visit destinations threatened by climate change such as Antarctica, Alaska, Galapagos and Machu Picchu. Cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska and South America are up, and we except a surge in Europe cruises, as air prices should be coming down considerably, and cruise lines are offering aggressive fares. For those staying close to home, National Parks, Canada & Hawaii are up as well.
Where are you planning to travel in 2009? We’d love to hear your top 3 list!
Tags: top travel destinations, top travel destinations 2009, travel blog, travel hot spots
February 4th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
nice and sweet. to the point. Added a subscription to your feed. Was searching for “vacation destination” when I found “p Travel Destinations”. More insight from the ultimate insight gang.
February 14th, 2009 at 8:15 am
sooooo happy, Florida is included in these lists since we are working hard to boost our tourism industry. I really hope people will spend holidays with us in Florida especially in Fort Lauderdale. thanks
April 20th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
insightful analysis and lively discussion here makes this blog the destination for those wanting to write creatively and think about our society and the impact we make on it at home and abroad