Monday, January 08, 2007

Top Ten World Travel Destination

Here's an interesting story about iExplore's Top Ten World Travel Destinations for 2006 based on vacation purchases last year.

Here's the scoop:
    2006                           2005
Rank Rank
1 EGYPT 1
2 ANTARCTICA 19
3 SOUTH AFRICA 6
4 PERU 2
5 CHINA 4
6 TANZANIA 17
7 INDIA 5
8 THAILAND 11
9 ITALY 8
10 ARGENTINA 14
"Other destinations showing strong growth in 2006 included Costa Rica (#11) and Japan (#13). Bumped from last year's top ten were the Galapagos Islands (#12), New Zealand (#17) and France (#43). Europe continues to suffer given the falling value of the U.S. Dollar, as compared to the Euro, making trips much more expensive to American travelers."

Well - I've been keeping track of places I'd like to go on my 43 Places site. I have tried to make a top ten list before but it is tough, so I've come up with a top five. Quite honestly though - my list keeps changing...

1. New Zealand
2. Belize
3. Australia
4. Galapagos Islands
5. South Africa

What's your top five? Or if you've really thought about it top ten?

8 comments:

wilma said...

Mine would be:
1. New Zealand (to do)
2. Botswana - Okavango Delta; salt pans (been)
3. Certain areas in Scotland (the highlands) and Wales (snowdonia) (been)
4. French countryside (been)
5. Norway (to do)


Arghh, too many places to see! Also want to visit Canada, Grand Canyon, Namibia's Etosha and desert, etc etc

http://www.top-adventure-tours.com/index.html

Garth said...

Hey thanx for popping by Wilma - some of my former to do places included Costa Rica & Kenya - both were places I'd go again in a heartbeat if I had the resources and time. So far, nothing beats Costa Rica when it comes to adventure sports - particularly in the area of whitewater rafting/kayaking & ziplining through the jungle! Kenya was amazing simply because of the safari I went on - amazing photo ops!

Garth said...

Hey - I just checked out your site Wilma - looks great! South Africa would be in my top ten of places to visit - I may have to drop a line sometime. We get a lot of South Africans immigrating here in Canada - mostly doctors!

Keira said...

(In no particular order)
1. Ireland
2. India
3. Thailand
4. New Zealand
5. Galapagos Islands
6. Finland/Sweden/Norway (I cheated)
7. Peru
8. Romania
9. Egypt
10. Iceland

Within the continent, I still need to visit the Southern states (Georgia, North Carolina, and Louisiana in particular), the Yukon, Northwest Territory, Nunavut, and Newfoundland.

Shouldn't take me too long, should it? ; )

Garth said...

Yeah - Ireland is definitely a place I'd like to visit, India has great food & Tea, and the Egyptian Pyramids of course! You better start traveling! Hey if you want to go to Romania - there are girls from my church that go every year to work in an orphanage.

Dave said...

It would be hard to get the order right, but some places I have always wanted to visit are:

Ireland
Alaska
New Zealand
China
Japan
India
Scotland
France
Italy
Portugal

Some places I've been and would love to go back to in order to explore some more:

Australia
Norway
England
Germany
Finland
Canada (Quebec, East Coast, Newfoundland, BC coast)

OK, that should be enough for now. For me, exporation isn't so much about adventure, but more about discovery. Learning, experiencing, understanding. Looking at a horizon and wondering what's just beyond that edge, then going to find out. I find that life is adventurous enough as it is. You don't have to go out to find adventure, but you do have to go out to discover something.

But yeah, places yet to be seen... but someday.

Keira said...

What time of year do the girls from your church go to Romania? I'm very interested. Ever since working at the orphanage in Guatemala I've wanted to return to one . . . I actually was thinking of Romania for that very reason.

Garth said...

Kiki - I'm not sure it may be this spring? I'll check on that this Sunday but I'm not sure who to exactly ask...