Skyscanner Predicts a Surge in Popularity of Asian Destinations for 2011
Asian cities prove popular with US travelers as flight comparison site Skyscanner reveals the top-ten emerging destinations for overseas travel.
Search data from flight comparison site skyscanner.com shows US travelers are increasingly interested in travel to Asia with eight of the top ten biggest risers located in the Far East. Cities such as Taipei, Beijing and Tokyo have seen as much as three times the number of searches in 2010 compared to 2009, while Shanghai has seen the biggest surge in popularity with a massive 243% increase in searches.
Eastern Europe has also seen a surge in popularity amongst US travelers, with the Russian capital of Moscow taking 7th place in the ranking and the Ukranian capital of Kiev in 8th position.
Top-ten emerging overseas destinations are as follows:
1. Shanghai
2. Taipei
3. Beijing
4. Tokyo
5. Ho Chi Minh City
6. Moscow
7. Kiev
8. Kuala Lumpur
9. Singapore
10. Hong Kong
Commenting on the data, Scot Carlson said, “Although destinations such as London, Paris and Rome still remain the highest searched-for destinations, it is very interesting to see such an apparent trend for Asian cities when we look at which destinations have seen the biggest increase in searches from 2009 to 2010. As US travelers continue to look for new and exciting vacation ideas throughout 2011 I expect Asian destinations will continue to see a rise in popularity and may even usurp some of the more traditional and established destinations.”
