United Kingdom Most Popular Travel Destination in 2011

2011 is over and 2012 has begun! The old year went out with a bang, the same way the new year started, but just because 2011 is over doesn't mean that it is forgotten. Citizens of Planet Earth did a lot of traveling last year to places all over the world but only one place could top the list as the most popular travel destination of 2011. While you may think that places like the Caribbean, the Bahamas or some other tropical place would be the most popular, it seems most travelers disagree because the most popular travel destination of 2011 was Britain, according to a study done by Expedia.

Travel to Britain saw a 10% increase in 2011 over 2010 and it appears as if the trend of domestic breaks is poised to continue strong in 2012 as well. Lots of new things to do in the region, like local culinary tours and cooking classes, as well as the increase in local bicycle shops, like Boris Bikes in London, are encouraging people to explore the country in new and exciting ways.

Andy Washington, Managing Director of Expedia UK and Ireland, stated, "It has been an eventful year for the travel industry and a tough year for certain popular travel destinations, but we've noticed time and time again that people tend to forego their annual holiday. It's encouraging to see that Brits are taking advantage of the multitude of attractions closer to home in the UK and embracing 'staycations'. 2011 has highlighted the mixed approach to holidaying taken by Brits in troubled times."

Washington also added, "As some are drawn to holidaying at home, others simply look for alternative destinations - with Spain and Turkey particularly growing in popularity during the Arab Spring. The other notable trend was deal hunting - with savvy travelers taking advantage of the great deals to be had in destinations like Egypt and Japan as these destinations recover. Yet what's absolutely clear is our determination to keep our holidays."

Expedia's study listed the top 10 traveling destinations for 2011 as:

1. Southern UK regions


2. London


3. New York


4. Paris


5. Las Vegas


6. Rome


7. Amsterdam


8. Barcelona


9. Regional Northern France


10. Edinburgh

Trends are supposed to continue strong into 2012, maybe because a vast majority of the population believes that the world is going to "end" this year. It seems that all these doomsdayers are trying to accomplish what they can before the Mayan calendar wipes us all out.

Source: Travel News - The UK topped most popular destination for travelers in 2011

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Dispute Between American Airlines and Travelport Continues

American Airlines and Travelport LP, a ticket middleman, have just delayed a duel between the two companies reminiscent of ones in the past that have resulted in American flights disappearing from popular travel websites and ticket brokers.

In a statement from both American Airlines and Travelport that was released yesterday, the two companies stated that agreements that are set to expire in the next couple of months have been extended to last until the end of the year. One of the deals that included Worldspan, an affiliate of Travelport, was set to expire on Sunday.

Travelport's "global distribution systems", which include Worldspan, Galileo and Apollo, provide information about airline flights and fares to travel agencies around the world. American Airlines wishes to deal more directly with travel agencies in order to reduce distribution costs and to tailor offers to customers directly.

American Airlines has also accused Travelport of breaking antitrust laws by raising fees and burying information about American flights, making travel agents see flight information and prices from other airlines before they see those from American. Several lawsuits have arisen due to the dispute involving AMR Corporation's American, Travelport, Sabre Holdings Corporation and online travel agencies which include Orbitz Worldwide Incorporated. The dispute even got so bad that American Airlines flights didn't even appear on Orbitz or Expedia.

Both American Airlines and Travelport LP have declined to comment on the current situation.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek - American Airlines, Travelport extend agreement

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