TRAVEL TRENDS
2008 FORECAST

Here are some of the hot spots, trends and statistics for travel in the new year:

U.S. Tour Operators Association: For the fifth year, Italy was the most popular international destination for packages and tours, according to an annual informal poll of member companies. Croatia and China were the hottest up-and-coming countries for tours and packages.

Yahoo Travel: Yahoo Travel’s biggest domestic "Movers & Shakers" - destinations that got the biggest increase in page views in Yahoo Travel Guides - were Lancaster, Pa.; Ocean City, N.J.; South Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Wildwood, N.J.; Helen, Ga.; and Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Lonely Planet: Top 10 destinations for 2008, according to a survey of the guidebook publisher’s U.S. staffers, are the United States, with an emphasis on national parks and Hawaii; Mexico, with an emphasis on Mexico City and the Pacific Coast; Argentina; Japan; India and Canada (tied); Australia and China (tied); Spain and France.

JWT top travel trends: Top trends identified by JWT, the largest U.S. ad agency:

● "Staycations," where travelers stay closer to home and take long weekends instead of weeks away

● Cruising

● Volunteer vacations

● Climate sightseeing - visits to see phenomena threatened by climate change

● Babymoons, in which couples take a vacation before their first baby arrives

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- The Associated Press

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Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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