Americans shun Middle East as travel destination

By Ray Hanania

Clockwise from the top: skyline with Burj Khalifa; Burj Al Arab; satellite image showing Palm Jumeirah and The World Islands; Dubai Marina; and Sheikh Zayed road.

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 14^th most popular U.S. city, while Charlotte surpassed Tampa, Fla. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. to jump into the 24^th 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.

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 44^th. Singapore (+4 spots to #17) and Sydney (+5 spots to #27) also saw major increases in demand.

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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rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

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