CHICAGO, Ill. — iExplore (www.iExplore.com) announced today the list of Top Ten World Travel Destinations as determined by the vacation purchases of its adventure and experiential travelers. Egypt held on to its top position, despite the increased turmoil in the Middle East in 2006. Antarctica and Argentina made their first appearance in iExplore’s top ten.
iExplore founder and CEO, George Deeb, said “Other than Antarctica jumping to our #2 position, no real surprises in 2006.” Deeb continued, “The American traveler continues to look for perceived safe travel destinations in a post 9/11/01 world, and it looks like it was Antarctica’s turn in 2006, partially benefited by increased exposure in big films like March of the Penguins and Happy Feet.”
Other destinations showing strong growth in 2006 included Costa Rica (#11) and Japan (#13). Bumped from last year’s top ten were the Galapagos Islands (#12), New Zealand (#17) and France (#43). Europe continues to suffer given the falling value of the U.S. Dollar, as compared to the Euro, making trips much more expensive to American travelers.
Top Ranked Locations for 2006
2006 Rank 2005 Rank 1 EGYPT 1 2 ANTARCTICA 19 3 SOUTH AFRICA 6 4 PERU 2 5 CHINA 4 6 TANZANIA 17 7 INDIA 5 8 THAILAND 11 9 ITALY 8 10 ARGENTINA 14
About iExplore
Founded in 1999, iExplore is the leading website for adventure and experiential travel, serving over 1,000,000 visitors per month. iExplore offers hundreds of made-to-order, guided tours that visit the farthest corners of the earth, particularly the man-made and natural wonders of the world. iExplore services its clients through an expert staff of adventure consultants at 1-800-IEXPLORE and online at www.iExplore.com.
iExplore has been named the “Best Adventure Travel Website” by Forbes Magazine for the sixth straight year and by Travel & Leisure Magazine in 2006.
iExplore, Inc., 954 W. Washington, Suite 3W, Chicago, Il 60607 – Tel: 312-492-9443 – Fax: 312-492-9463 – http://www.iExplore.com
[tags]iExplore adventure travel, exotic guided tours, adventure consultants, George Deeb, adventure and experiential travel[/tags]
