The United States has pipped Australia as most popular tourist destination

Howabout some good news out of the US for a change. :)

The United States has pipped Australia at the post as the most popular tourist destination, an international survey has found.

Since its debut in 2004, Australia has always come out on top of the Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse Survey.

But this year, for the first time, the US collected 1509 of the 17,500 votes from 132 countries, followed by Australia with 1222.

The United Kingdom took out bronze (965 votes) while Italy (836 votes) and New Zealand (648 votes) rounded out the top five.

The Land of the Long White Cloud managed to step up four spots, the biggest bolter in the poll, last year only just scraping into the top 10 at ninth.

Better news for Australia came in the favourite country category, where Oz took out poll position for the fourth year in a row, sitting pretty with 1316 votes.

Italy came in a close second (1256 votes) followed by the US (1103 votes).

US knocks off Australia as most popular destination - News - Travel - smh.com.au

With the USD where it is, it's a great time to visit the States. Save your pennies however if you want to visit Aussieland. :aus:

Just goes to show how these different surveys (and survey targets) can show different things - recently Conde Nast had France as the top tourist destination.

^
Ant beat me to it.

France has the highest number of tourist arrivals

I would've been counted in those numbers for France, though I never left the airport.

Two very different demographics represented with Lonely Planet and Conde Nast.

France is the top destination in the world,

80 millions a year, beat that

and that's visitors, not airport traffic

France has an undeniable geographic advantage.

Anybody traveling on ground from Spain, Portugal or UK to anywhere else in Europe transits through France. It's much like South Carolina claiming all the Florida-bound tourists from New York stopping for the night.

Is it their destination? Maybe. It's about the only western European country I haven't visited. ;)

^ plenty of Texan rednecks coming through already ;)

You're obviously having trouble figuring me out, with your Ray Careyesque personal jabs on this and other threads.

You're way off base. ;)

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Originally Posted by Texpat

You're obviously having trouble figuring me out,

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Au contraire, got you pegged perfectly :)

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Originally Posted by Texpat

France has an undeniable geographic advantage.

Anybody traveling on ground from Spain, Portugal or UK to anywhere else in Europe transits through France. It's much like South Carolina claiming all the Florida-bound tourists from New York stopping for the night.

Is it their destination? Maybe. It's about the only western European country I haven't visited. ;)

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Think your way off on that one Tex. Amsterdam is the transit point for western europe,

Ya, Schipol has the most traffic, but who stays in the country? See the Nightwatch at the Rieks (sp?) Museum and the red light district and canals and you're good to go on.

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Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Just goes to show how these different surveys (and survey targets) can show different things - recently Conde Nast had France as the top tourist destination.

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Anythig to dis the US of A, huh, Ant? Best diversity and beauty of any country I know. Even has aurora borealis if you make it to Alaska.

^ don't talk with your mouth full, Jet, you are not making any sense :)

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Originally Posted by Begbie

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Originally Posted by Texpat

France has an undeniable geographic advantage.

Anybody traveling on ground from Spain, Portugal or UK to anywhere else in Europe transits through France. It's much like South Carolina claiming all the Florida-bound tourists from New York stopping for the night.

Is it their destination? Maybe. It's about the only western European country I haven't visited. ;)

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Think your way off on that one Tex. Amsterdam is the transit point for western europe,

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on ground

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As in -- over land. As opposed to something else, like flying or swimming, or time machine.

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Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

Ya, Schipol has the most traffic, but who stays in the country? See the Nightwatch at the Rieks (sp?) Museum and the red light district and canals and you're good to go on.

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Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Just goes to show how these different surveys (and survey targets) can show different things - recently Conde Nast had France as the top tourist destination.

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Anythig to dis the US of A, huh, Ant?

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WTF?? :rofl:

Who knew you were so precious, sheesh.

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Originally Posted by Texpat

As in -- over land. As opposed to something else, like flying or swimming, or time machine.

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I understand your ignorance about old Europe, but the port is also a central transit for land transportation, you know as boats can't go on roads and all that :)

The boat wouldn't be considered on ground then, would it Einstein? And not what I was referring to.

And the OP poll calls USA the most popular, not the most frequented.

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Originally Posted by Texpat

The boat wouldn't be considered on ground then, would it Einstein?

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yes, but the transporters coming and going all over Europe for unloading those boats would be,

I guess that part got lost on you, genius :)

Some very nasty people here.

US is an OK place to visit (once), -- - wouldn't want to live there. But thats just me.

^

Americans probably wouldn't want you to live there either.

American may or may not (I tend to go with not) be the number one tourist destination, but it is by far and away the number one country for immigration applications. More people want to LIVE in the USA than any other country.

Personally, I think America can be quite difficult to visit but it is very liveable.

Feck...if I were in the states, my most close-by popular destination would be Mexico. Europe is too expensive by far...

Love travelling in the USA by car. Can still get great hotel/motel rooms for $40-$50. eg, Quinta. Way better than a Brit B&B with shared bath for what, 60 quid a night?
Canada's OK to travel if you have a tent. $20 or so a night for a campsite. Bears and deer come free.

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Originally Posted by Accidental Ajarn

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Americans probably wouldn't want you to live there either.

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Which ones, apart from yourself?
I met some really nice people while I was over there. I have some family in US and they treated me extremely well.

Some great sights to see. The Grand Canyon was beyond expectations.

Loved the south, especially Bourbon Street.

Spent some interesting times in bars and a few strip joints too.

Nashville with its weekend country concerts at the local pubs was just terrific.

The list goes on. So much to see in such a diverse country. All round, a great place to visit if you can afford it. But as far as wanting to swap my life here in OZ for one in US, -- NO WAY. Too much poverty, too much crime, lack of health care and low wages for middle class workers. I know where a better quality of life is available to me and its certainly not in USA.

The strange thing I found was that while most (if not virtually all) the average Americans I talked with had very little knowledge about the outside world, they still believed they had the best standard of living in the world. Well, as they say,--- up to them.

“Which ones, apart from yourself?”

Just a little light-hearted banter, lighten up.

“All round, a great place to visit if you can afford it”

Agree, I can’t see visiting the USA being for budget travelers. Unless you stay in one of the major Eastern cities, you almost always have to rent a car and pay the fuel to get around, adds up quickly. America does not really have a budget travel industry per se.

“But as far as wanting to swap my life here in OZ for one in US, -- NO WAY. Too much poverty, too much crime, lack of health care and low wages for middle class workers.”

Good points, America would not have much to offer, immigration wise, to middle- aged middle-income employees from developed countries. It attracts more of the entrepreneurial class for immigration. America provides fewer guarantees than most other developed countries, but more opportunities. Having said that, I made a couple of trips to OZ and thought it was great, I could easily live there.

“The strange thing I found was that while most (if not virtually all) the average Americans I talked with had very little knowledge about the outside world,”

This would be one of my biggest complaints about the country as well. But it is not really strange. Look at America’s geography, size and variety. Also look at the rest of the world’s fascination with us?

Brits, Aussies and Kiwis on this forum appear to post far more about American politics and the American social-cultural environment than they do about those of their own countries. If the rest of the world is so fascinated with America (anyone ever complain of zealous anti-New Zealanders?), why shouldn’t Americans also be fascinated by their own country?

Oh well 4 years outa 5 ain't bad !