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Top 10 travel destinations*

A sinking dollar combined with elevated passport rules means fewer Americans are traveling abroad, right? In fact, they appear to be traveling more — especially to overseas destinations, up nearly 5% from 2005. So where are they going? Here are the top 10 destinations, along with some interesting facts:

1. Mexico
19,659,000 travelers

Spending up 9% over last year.

2. Canada
13,855,000 travelers

Visits down 4% compared with 2005, but spending up 15%.

3. U.K.
3,286,000 travelers

Even with a 14% decline compared to 2005, the U.K. remains the top overseas destination for U.S. travelers.

4. France
2,231,000 travelers

While visits are up 1% over last year, spending is down.

5. Italy
2,201,000 travelers

Even though spending was down 3%, American visitors to Italy jumped 8%.

6. Germany
1,688,000 travelers

While still up there on the list, its way down from 2000, when almost 2.3 million Americans visited. Spending there is also down 14%.

7. Jamaica
1,688,000 travelers

Compared with 2000, U.S. visitors to Jamaica surged 90% higher, tied with Germany .

8. Bahamas
1,538,000 travelers

Also up significantly over 2000 figures, visitors to the Bahamas increased 68%.

9. Japan
1,538,000 travelers (tie)

Americans' travel and tourism is up 22% over 2000 to tie with the Bahamas , but spending was down 12% from 2006.

10. People's Republic of China
1,327,000 travelers

Compared with 2000, U.S. visitation to China is up over 100%.

So what's at play behind some of these figures? It's not always readily apparent. Mexico and Canada are kind of a no-brainer, being close to home, readily accessible and fairly predictable. Same goes for the U.K. — even though it's overseas, language and a shared history make it a favorite. With France flat, Italy up and Germany down, the deflated US Dollar may be a factor.

As for the big rise in figures for Jamaica and the Bahamas , they're both tropical paradises fairly close to home. Plus, an agreement between the governments of the U.S. and the Bahamas gives U.S. corporations a tax break when they book conventions and meetings in the Bahamas . Asia as a whole is mixed: China is way up, but Korea and Hong Kong are down, not even making the top 10.

It just goes to show how unpredictable this business can be — all the more reason for
RBC Travel Protection^®!

*Figures compiled by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI).

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