NEEDHAM, MA - March 10, 2003 - TripAdvisor (www.TripAdvisor.com - http://www.tripadvisor.com/), the leading travel search engine, announced today the results of its study on the top spring/summer destinations researched online. The study ranked destinations in North America, Europe, and the South Pacific based on the number of commerce inquiries received for each city by 7.5 million unique visitors using TripAdvisor's travel research site.
Europe was the most researched destination for spring and summer vacations, taking 6 of the top 15 spots. By far the top European destination was Paris, France. The study shows that despite the talk of war, travelers are still actively planning overseas trips to Europe this spring and summer. One of the other interesting results to emerge from the study showed that the top two destinations, Las Vegas and Paris, accounted for over 33% of the traffic for the top 15 cities, demonstrating the continued draw of these historically popular locations.
The results differed significantly from TripAdvisor's Winter Destinations study, released in November 2002, that showed Mexico as the favorite choice of online consumers during the colder winter months.
Methodology and Results
From December 2002-February 2003, TripAdvisor tabulated the total commerce inquiries for all cities in North America, Europe, Caribbean and the South Pacific. During this time period when consumers actively plan their upcoming spring and summer vacations, TripAdivsor recorded a total audience of 7.5 million unique visitors. The complete rankings of the Top 15 Spring and Summer Vacation Destinations researched online are:
Top 15 Spring/Summer Destinations Researched Online
1. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
2. Paris, France
3. New York City, NY, USA
4. Cancun, Mexico
5. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean
6. Orlando, Florida, USA
7. Barcelona, Spain
8. London, England
9. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
10. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
11. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
12. Rome, Italy
13. Playa del Carmen, Mexico
14. Montreal, Canada
15. Venice, Italy
"Through the popularity of our site as a leading research travel tool, we have the ability to track the favorite destinations for various seasons," said Steve Kaufer, CEO of TripAdvisor. "Despite possible concerns about overseas travel right now, consumers are still choosing European destinations as the most popular hotspot for their spring and summer vacations."
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