What Is The Most Popular Travel Destination In The World?
For the majority of the world's travelers, the beach is the most popular travel destination in the world, according to Expedia.com's Flip Flop Report. Other vacation locations, like food-and-wine getaways, rank much lower (only 5 percent of people prefer a food-and-wine getaway).
The global study of 8,599 adults in 21 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia looked at travelers' behavior and preferences.
The report reveals that the average beach vacation is one week, and that Americans spend 40 percent of their vacation days at the beach. As for the factors that determine the actual beach location, vacation price and beach quality are the top criteria for travelers in 14 of the 21 countries surveyed. Some 63 percent of travelers cite the reputation of the local food and beverage as important, and Mexicans (80 percent), Brazilians (79 percent), and Indians (77 percent) ranked it as a more important factor in the decision-making process than Americans (58 percent).
Relaxing and sunbathing were among the top two activities for beachgoers across all five continents. Some 33 percent of beachgoers had dinner on the beach, with Mexicans (62 percent) being the most likely to have dinner on the beach. Koreans were the likeliest to eat raw seafood on the beach, while Norwegians were least likely to eat uncooked seafood on the sand.