23/07/2009

After dropping out of the top spot last year, Australia is once again the favorite vacation destination outside the United States for Americans –if cost was not a consideration. Last year was the only year since 1997 that Australia was not in the number one position. Italy, which was number one last year, drops back down to the number two. The next most popular countries are the same as last year: Great Britain at number 3, France at number 4, Ireland at number 5, Germany drops two spots to number 6, Japan stays the same as last year at number 7, Greece moves up two spots to number 8, New Zealand moves up two spots to number 9, and Spain remains in the number 10 spot, for top vacation destinations.

The findings are the result of The Harris Poll, a new nationwide survey of 2,177 U.S. adults surveyed online between June 8 and 15 by Harris Interactive. Overall, half of all adults (50 percent) would choose a European country for a foreign vacation if cost was not a consideration. This is up from last year when 48 percent chose a country in this region. One-quarter (24 percent) would choose a country in Asia or the Pacific, the same as last year. Looking at the Caribbean or the Americas, 15 percent said they would go to a country in this region, the same as last year; and, a very small number of people (4 percent) say they would not travel anywhere outside the United States.