Mexico overcoming problems to remain top destination
Mexico took four of the top 10 spots on a list of international destinations booked by agents, managers and agency owners from the Travel Leaders company.
The annual survey by the former Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates asked 452 Travel Leaders agents to name the top destinations for the fall, through Dec. 31, using actual booking data.
“Mexico ranked highly despite concerns about swine flu and drug-related crime that hurt travel there last spring. Cancun came in as No. 2 on the list, Riviera Maya as No. 3, cruises to Mexico were No. 7 and Playa del Carmen was No. 10,” said the AP.
London was not among the top 10 in last year’s survey but it rebounded at No. 6 this year, most likely due to a stronger US dollar.
Domestically, the top 10 destinations were, in order, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York City, Honolulu, Maui, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. Travel Leaders attributed New York’s No. 3 slot to attractive hotel rates in the Big Apple.
Despite Mexico remaining popular as a destination this fall, most agents reported that the country’s bad news had negatively impacted their bookings.
By David Wilkening
David
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