USA: Where did Americans Travel Most in the First Half of 2015?

– The Grand Canyon is now considered a top domestic destination, after drawing in visitors from around the country and jumping dramatically in popularity.

– Canadian cities made a good showing in the top international destinations, as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Niagara Falls were all included in the Top 15.

– New York, Orlando, and Las Vegas are yet again the most popular destinations for international travelers looking to experience the U.S. culture.

DALLAS – August 27, 2015 – With summer winding down and holiday travel plans beginning to take shape, Hotels.com has released the most popular cities from the first half of 2015, highlighting the most popular domestic and international destinations based on data from the Hotel Price Index

Top Domestic Destinations

While the Top 10 U.S. destinations for American travelers remained largely the same as the first half of 2014, several Southwest and Midwest destinations rose in popularity. After seeing record-breaking crowds this year, the Grand Canyon region made the biggest jump in the rankings from outside the Top 50 to #45. Phoenix also experienced an increase in popularity in the first half of 2015 after being on the national stage and hosting the country’s biggest sporting event in February. The city jumped two spots to become the 27th most popular domestic destination, replacing Atlantic City, which fell 12 spots to #39.

Kansas City (#29) and St. Louis (#30) also made big leaps as each moved ahead four spots to join Chicago (#6) and Detroit (#28) as top Midwest destinations. California hotspots San Diego (+1 spot to #4) and Anaheim (+2 to #17) also rose in domestic popularity, but with a revitalized downtown and a flurry of new restaurant openings, it was the state capital of Sacramento (+4 spots to #31) that saw the biggest increase on the west coast.

50 Most Popular Domestic Cities for American Travelers

Las Vegas, Nev.

Philadelphia, Pa.

Reno, Nev.

New York, N.Y.

Seattle, Wash.

Raleigh, N.C.

Orlando, Fla.

Dallas, Texas

Jacksonville, Fla.

San Diego, Calif.

Nashville, Tenn.

Newark, N.J.

Los Angeles, Calif.

Portland, Ore.

Atlantic City, N.J.

Chicago, Ill.

Tampa, Fla.

Savannah, Ga.

San Francisco, Calif.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Honolulu, Hawaii

Washington, D.C.

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Albuquerque, N.M.

Houston, Texas

Charlotte, N.C.

Columbus, Ohio

San Antonio, Texas

Phoenix, Ariz.

Charleston, S.C.

Atlanta, Ga.

Detroit, Mich.

Grand Canyon

Boston, Mass.

Kansas City, Mo.

Arlington, Va.

New Orleans, La.

St. Louis, Mo.

Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Denver, Colo.

Sacramento, Calif.

Oklahoma City

Miami, Fla.

Indianapolis, Ind.

Memphis, Tenn.

Austin, Texas

Baltimore, Md.

Virginia Beach, Va.

Anaheim, Calif.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Top International Destinations for Americans

For U.S. travelers going abroad in the first half of 2015, Canada again was the place to visit. Toronto and Vancouver remained in the Top 5, while Montreal jumped two spots to #6 and Niagara Falls remained in the Top 20 at #14.

The list of most popular international destinations for Americans in the first half of 2015 also featured several newcomers. Budapest’s international airport is on pace to break 2014’s record number of passengers and the Hungarian capitol saw one of the biggest jumps in popularity internationally, breaking into the rankings at #41. Meanwhile, Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez (#44), which launched a tourism campaign called “Juarez is Waiting for You” in April to attract travelers, entered the Top 50 at #44.

Other international cities to rise in popularity in the first six months of 2015 included Bangkok (+10 to #11), Punta Cana (+9 spots to #40), Sydney (+5 spots to #28) and Dubai (+5 spots to #17).

50 Most Popular International Cities for American Travelers

London - United Kingdom

Riviera Maya - Mexico

Paris - France

Prague - Czech Republic

Rome - Italy

Sydney - Australia

Toronto - Canada

Milan - Italy

Vancouver - Canada

Copenhagen - Denmark

Montreal - Canada

Shanghai - China

Barcelona - Spain

Panama City - Panama

Tokyo - Japan

Los Cabos - Mexico

Hong Kong - Hong Kong

Vienna - Austria

Amsterdam - Netherlands

Athens - Greece

Bangkok - Thailand

Beijing - China

Venice - Italy

Stockholm - Sweden

Madrid - Spain

Edinburgh - United Kingdom

Niagara Falls - Canada

Bogota - Colombia

Florence - Italy

Punta Cana - Dominican Republic

Mexico City - Mexico

Budapest - Hungary

Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Vallarta - Mexico

Dublin - Ireland

Bali - Indonesia

Istanbul - Turkey

Ciudad Juarez - Mexico

Cancun - Mexico

Calgary - Canada

Berlin - Germany

Frankfurt - Germany

Singapore - Singapore

Brussels - Belgium

Munich - Germany

Buenos Aires - Argentina

San Juan - Puerto Rico

Reykjavik - Iceland

Seoul - South Korea

Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

Top U.S. Destinations for International Travelers

New York, Las Vegas and Orlando remained the three most popular U.S. destinations for international visitors in the first half of 2015, while San Francisco surpassed Los Angeles and Miami to reach the 4 spot. The Grand Canyon rose in popularity amongst international visitors.

The national park was recently named the sixth most popular international landmark on Chinese travelers’ wish lists according to the Hotels.com Chinese international Travel Monitor.

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