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By Ray Hanania
While the Middle East and issues related to Arab countries dominate the attention of Americans through news media and national security, most Americans are avoiding travel to Middle East countries.
A recent study by Hotels.com shows that of the top 50 destinations where Americans are traveling, only one Arab Middle East destination, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and only one other Muslim destination, Istanbul, Turkey, have made the list.
Dubai and Turkey ranked 19 and 20 respectively on the list of the top 50 destinations.
The number one destination for Americans is London, followed by Paris (number 2), Toronto (number 3), Rome (number 4), and Vancouver (number 5).
Canada includes six of the top 50 destinations while Mexico and Italy include four locations each. Germany has three locations while many other countries have only one or two.
Frankfurt, Germany, which like Paris, is a connection city for Americans who travel to the Middle East, ranked 50th on the new survey list.
Despite the heavy propaganda from Israel’s high-budget tourism industry, Israel did not make the list either suggesting that when American think of security concerns, Israel is up there along with the Arab countries. Americans are not heading to their occupied beaches.
In contrast, Las Vegas remains the number 1 destination for international travelers who come to the United States. And, Las Vegas is also the number one destination for American travelers, too.
Here is the press release from Hotel.com with charts showing where Americans travel in the US and in foreign countries:
Where Did Americans Travel Most in 2014?
Hotel Price Index Reveals Denver and Charlotte are gaining popularity domestically, while Mexico surges internationally
DALLAS, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — To help travelers identify the most popular and trending cities this year – both domestically and internationally – Hotels.com® has released data from its Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®) that highlights the most popular destinations of 2014.
Top Domestic Destinations for Americans
California, Texas and Florida were home to nearly half of the 25 Most Popular Domestic Cities for American travelers in 2014, but it was Denver and Charlotte, N.C. that saw the most growth in popularity among top destinations. Denver overtook Miami as the 14th most popular U.S. city, while Charlotte surpassed Tampa, Fla. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. to jump into the 24th spot. Outside the Top 25 cities, Detroit (+2 spots to #27), Phoenix (+3 spots to #28), Kansas City, Mo. (+3 spots to #31) and Salt Lake City (+5 spots to #35) also saw significant jumps in popularity.
|
50 Most Popular Domestic Cities for Americans |
|||||
|
City |
FY 2014 vs |
City |
FY 2014 vs |
City |
FY 2014 vs |
|
1. Las Vegas, Nev. |
No Change |
18. Seattle, Wash. |
No Change |
35. Salt Lake City, Utah |
5 |
|
2. New York, N.Y. |
No Change |
19. Anaheim, Calif. |
No Change |
36. Raleigh, N.C. |
No Change |
|
3. Orlando, Fla. |
No Change |
20. Dallas, Texas |
No Change |
37. St. Louis, Mo. |
-4 |
|
4. Los Angeles, Calif. |
No Change |
21. Nashville, Tenn. |
No Change |
38. Jacksonville, Fla. |
1 |
|
5. San Diego, Calif. |
No Change |
22. Portland, Ore. |
No Change |
39. Newark, N.J. |
-1 |
|
6. Chicago, Ill. |
No Change |
23. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
No Change |
40. Honolulu, Hawaii |
-3 |
|
7. San Francisco, Calif. |
No Change |
24. Charlotte, N.C. |
2 |
41. Savannah, Ga. |
3 |
|
8. Washington, D.C. |
No Change |
25. Tampa, Fla. |
No Change |
42. Albuquerque, N.M. |
5 |
|
9. Houston, Texas |
No Change |
26. Atlantic City, N.J. |
1 |
43. Columbus, Ohio |
-2 |
|
10. San Antonio, Texas |
No Change |
27. Detroit, Mich. |
2 |
44. Charleston, S.C. |
2 |
|
11. Atlanta, Ga. |
No Change |
28. Phoenix, Ariz. |
3 |
45. Arlington, Va. |
-2 |
|
12. Boston, Mass. |
No Change |
29. Reno, Nev. |
-1 |
46. Scottsdale, Ariz. |
-4 |
|
13. New Orleans, La. |
No Change |
30. Myrtle Beach, S.C. |
-6 |
47. Oklahoma City, Okla. |
1 |
|
14. Denver, Colo. |
1 |
31. Kansas City, Mo. |
3 |
48. Pittsburgh, Pa. |
New to List |
|
15. Miami, Fla. |
-1 |
32. Indianapolis, Ind. |
No Change |
49. Pigeon Forge, Tenn. |
No Change |
|
16. Austin, Texas |
No Change |
33. Baltimore, Md. |
-3 |
50. Memphis, Tenn. |
New to List |
|
17. Philadelphia, Pa. |
No Change |
34. Sacramento, Calif. |
1 |
||
Top International Destinations for Americans
Mexico continued to surge in popularity with American travelers in 2014. Cancun/Riviera Maya moved up four spots to become the sixth most popular international destination for Americans, surpassing Montreal, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Barcelona. Other Mexican cities to make significant jumps in 2014 were Mexico City (+3 spots to #15) and Vallarta (+7 spots to #38), which saw the most growth of any top international destination.
While London remained the most popular international destination for Americans, Edinburgh – just a few hours north – experienced one of the biggest growth spurts, moving up six places to 44th. Singapore (+4 spots to #17) and Sydney (+5 spots to #27) also saw major increases in demand.
|
50 Most Popular International Cities for Americans |
|||||
|
City |
Country |
FY 2014 vs |
City [Province] |
Country |
FY 2014 vs |
|
1. London |
United Kingdom |
No Change |
26. Munich |
Germany |
-1 |
|
2. Paris |
France |
No Change |
27. Sydney |
Australia |
+5 |
|
3. Toronto |
Canada |
No Change |
28. Prague |
Czech Republic |
-1 |
|
4. Rome |
Italy |
No Change |
29. Copenhagen |
Denmark |
+7 |
|
5. Vancouver |
Canada |
No Change |
30. Beijing |
China |
-2 |
|
6. Cancun/Riviera Maya |
Mexico |
+4 |
31. Panama City |
Panama |
+3 |
|
7. Montreal |
Canada |
+1 |
32. Milan |
Italy |
+3 |
|
8. Hong Kong |
Hong Kong |
-1 |
33. Buenos Aires |
Argentina |
No Change |
|
9. Tokyo |
Japan |
-3 |
34. Carolina |
Puerto Rico |
-3 |
|
10. Barcelona |
Spain |
-1 |
35. Vienna |
Austria |
-5 |
|
11. Niagara Falls |
Canada |
No Change |
36. Los Cabos |
Mexico |
-7 |
|
12. Bangkok |
Thailand |
No Change |
37. Bogota |
Colombia |
No Change |
|
13. Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
No Change |
38. Vallarta |
Mexico |
+7 |
|
14. San Juan |
Puerto Rico |
No Change |
39. Athens |
Greece |
No Change |
|
15. Mexico City |
Mexico |
+3 |
40. Punta Cana |
Dominican Republic |
+2 |
|
16. Madrid |
Spain |
No Change |
41. Edinburgh |
United Kingdom |
+6 |
|
17. Singapore |
Singapore |
+4 |
42. Calgary |
Canada |
+1 |
|
18. Florence |
Italy |
-1 |
43. Sao Paulo |
Brazil |
-3 |
|
19. Dubai |
United Arab Emirates |
-4 |
44. Stockholm |
Sweden |
New to List |
|
20. Istanbul |
Turkey |
+2 |
45. Bali |
Indonesia |
New to List |
|
21. Venice |
Italy |
-2 |
46. Taipei |
Taiwan |
-2 |
|
22. Dublin |
Ireland |
-2 |
47. Quebec |
Canada |
+2 |
|
23. Seoul |
South Korea |
+3 |
48. Rio De Janeiro |
Brazil |
-10 |
|
24. Berlin |
Germany |
No Change |
49. Lima |
Peru |
New to List |
|
25. Shanghai |
China |
-2 |
50. Frankfurt |
Germany |
-9 |
Top U.S. Destinations for International Travelers
Las Vegas has long been the most popular domestic destination for Americans, but when it comes to international travel, New York is king. The most popular U.S. destination among international visitors in 2014 was also the most popular among all international destinations for many Western Europe countries, including France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
Another popular destination was Orlando, which was also the most-visited international destination for Brazilian and Columbian travelers in 2014, and ranked third for all international visitors. Meanwhile, San Antonio was the U.S. destination most visited by travelers from Mexico in 2014, knocking Las Vegas out of the top spot.
To find more travel ideas and tips, follow Hotels.com on Twitter at @hotelsdotcom and #TravelExperts. For exclusive last-minute deals, visit http://www.hotels.com/hotel-deals or download the Hotels.com mobile app.
About Hotels.com (www.hotels.com)
Hotels.com L.P. operates Hotels.com, a leading online accommodation booking website with over 365,000 properties around the world, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals.
© 2015 Hotels.com, LP, Hotels.com, The Obvious Choice, Hotel Price Index, HPI and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CST # 2083949-50.
SOURCE Hotels.com
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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
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