Carlson Wagonlit Travel associates are seeing "exciting" shifts in the travel patterns of clients, said Roger E. Block, executive vice president of CWT's associate division, citing statistics from the agency's annual Travel Trends Survey. Some notable figures are the rise of Mediterranean cruising to a top five spot in international travel and the seven-spot leap of Washington, DC, into the top 10 domestic destinations, based on responses from 555 CWT associate owners, managers and agents throughout the U.S.
"Obviously, consumers are still finding value in traveling to Europe, whether it's a Mediterranean cruise, various Italian cities or even London and Paris," Block said, noting that so far this year Alaska, not the Caribbean, is the top cruise destination being booked--the first time that has happened.
Domestically, the top 10 destinations, in order, are Las Vegas; Orlando; Honolulu; Kahului, HI; New York; Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ; Anchorage, AK; Washington, DC; Lihue, HI; and Miami. Internationally, the top 10 destinations are, in order, Caribbean cruising; Cancun; Mexico's Riviera Maya; Rome; Mediterranean cruising; Puerto Vallarta; Montego Bay, Jamaica; London; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and a tie between Mexico cruising and Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos land stays. Visit www.carlsontravel.com. (JM)