Australia retains claim to reign as the "ultimate" dream destination for Americans

NEW YORK - Travel Leaders Group released its latest nationwide survey findings in which Australia remains the most dreamed about destination for American travelers, followed by Italy, Bora Bora, Ireland and New Zealand. Survey participants also weighed in on how they believe Americans might be perceived while traveling abroad – 68% of respondents have some level of concern. Additionally, the newly released data highlights Hawaii, California and Alaska as the most desirable U.S. destinations for vacation travelers. The survey was conducted April 3 to April 30, 2017, and includes responses from 2,854 consumers throughout the United States.

"Australia is undeniably captivating to many Americans.  With a size mirroring that of the continental U.S., it offers immense variety from cosmopolitan cities to the rugged outback and from world-class beaches and the Great Barrier Reef to award-winning wine regions," explained Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. "The ultimate dream list includes tantalizing South Pacific islands, around the world cruises and longtime favorites such as Italy, Ireland and France.  With this knowledge, our travel agents are continually honing their expertise and specializations in order to amaze clients who are ready to turn their dreams into reality."

Travel Leaders Group's 2017 Consumer Travel Survey asked Americans to name their "ultimate dream destination" and the list includes:

1	Australia
2	Italy
3	Bora Bora
4	Ireland
5	New Zealand
6	Cruise – World
7	Fiji
8	Cruise – Europe (Mediterranean)
9	Greek Islands
10	Tahiti
11	Cruise – Europe (River)
12 (tie)	Antarctica
12 (tie)	Cruise – South Pacific and Tahiti
14	Cruise – Australia/New Zealand
15	France

Additional Key Survey Findings:
Consumers were also asked, "Do you have any concerns about traveling internationally, because of how Americans might be perceived?" and the responses included:

• Yes – slight concern 38.9%
• No – no concern 32.0%
• Yes – some concern 21.9%
• Yes – great concern 7.2%

"Understandably, travelers have questions, because the political landscape in this country has vastly changed," added Chacko. "However, American travelers are resilient and have shown, time and time again, that they believe in the power of travel to bring people and cultures together. Their concerns are more than likely dispelled upon traveling. The strong bookings we are seeing for this year are very representative of that."

When asked, "If you could take a trip anywhere in the U.S., where would you choose to go?" the list of top favorites included:

1. Hawaii
2. California
3. Alaska
4. Florida
5. New York
6. Arizona
7. Colorado
8. (tie) Maine
8. (tie) Montana
10. (tie) Washington
10. (tie) Washington, D.C.

"Must See" International Destinations:
Based on previous Travel Leaders Group's surveys that included questions on "trending" and "up and coming" destinations, survey participants were asked to rate their interest level in visiting these specific 24 destinations. Response options included: "must see," "very interested," "interested," "little interest," and "no interest." (http://bit.ly/2qBNcVy)

Must See	Interested or Very Interested
1	Ireland	36.5%	52.3%
2	New Zealand	31.2%	53.7%
3	Fiji	24.4%	55.8%
4	Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)	24.0%	50.1%
5	Tahiti	23.2%	52.5%
6	Iceland	22.2%	51.0%
7	Bora Bora	21.6%	50.3%
8	Cuba	18.0%	45.8%
9	Japan	14.3%	47.5%
10	Peru	13.8%	48.9%
11	Thailand	12.9%	39.9%
12	Portugal	12.8%	55.8%
13	Croatia	12.4%	42.0%
14	Maldives	12.1%	44.4%
15	Czech Republic	11.1%	41.9%
16	Seychelles	10.2%	40.5%
17	Morocco	9.6%	44.3%
18	Vietnam	9.1%	32.8%
19	Argentina	8.7%	45.8%
20	Tanzania	7.5%	35.8%
21	Hungary	7.0%	44.1%
22	Cambodia	5.6%	26.8%
23	Botswana	4.4%	20.6%
24	Burma (Myanmar)	3.6%	25.4%

Through the years, Travel Leaders Group has built a reputation for gathering extensive travel trends data from its vast network of travel agents and more recently from American consumers and travelers. This is the 9th consecutive year for the consumer travel survey.

American consumers were engaged through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as through direct contact with travel clients for the following Travel Leaders Group companies including the flagship Travel Leaders brand, as well as  Cruise Specialists, Nexion, Protravel International, SinglesCruise.com, and Tzell Travel Group units.

With nearly $21 billion in annual sales, Travel Leaders Group is the largest travel agency company in North America, comprised of approximately 30% of all travel agencies in North America that are wholly-owned, franchised, or member agencies. It's a leader in both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel, and consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.