US aims to boost Aussie visitors

An American tourism promotion team has descended on Australia in hopes of increasing tourism to the country, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

Representatives from many iconic US destinations, including New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, are among those visiting Australia, with events taking place across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The visit is well-timed as, according to Mark Latham of Visit USA Australia, February is the time when most Australians decide on a visit to the US.

Figures from the US Department of Commerce show New York and California as the most popular states for Australian visitors, while the most popular holiday activities were said to be city sightseeing and watching plays and concerts.

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UK flight searches increase ahead of Royal Wedding

Australians are second only to Germans in their eagerness to head to the UK for the upcoming Royal Wedding, The Independent has reported.

According to the most recent figures from flight comparison site Skyscanner, Germany and Australia have now overtaken the United States and the Netherlands as the countries seeing the biggest search increases for flights to Britain.

Previously second in the same list last month, the US now stands at number three, while former top spot holder the Netherlands has now slipped out of the top ten entirely.

The wedding will see Prince William marry Kate Middleton on April 29th at Westminster Abbey, and tourism agency Visit London has already warned prospective tourists that hotels in the British capital are filling up fast.

Those planning a one off trip to the UK for the royal nuptials can cover themselves with One-trip travel insurance from InsureandGo.

Travel agent bookings rise

The number of Australians booking their overseas trips through travel agents has risen for the first time in four years, News.com.au has reported.

According to figures from Roy Morgan Research, in the year to March 55 per cent of Aussies used a travel agent to book their last international trip, compared to 53 per cent in December.

However, the number is still significantly down on June 2007’s figure, which was 71 per cent.

Recent catastrophic events like the Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami are thought to be behind the recent uplift in travel agent bookings.

Colin Bowman, Flight Centre executive general manager, commented, “The uncertainty of it all has highlighted the importance of having someone like a travel agent back at home to call on in a time of need.”

A comprehensive travel insurance policy, such as those offered by InsureandGo, can provide holidaymakers with valuable assistance, however they’ve booked their holiday.

Top summer hotspots revealed

National Geographic has published a list of what it believes are the top 10 destinations to visit this summer.

According to The Telegraph, the US periodical is recommending that its readers head to Canada to visit Muskoka Cottage Country, a historic area of Ontario.

The Patagonia region of Argentina was named as the runner-up, followed by three US destinations – the San Juan Islands, Washington, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska.

Welsh capital Cardiff came next at number six, receiving praise for its “iconic” castle and for being a “modern sports-entertainment destination”.

Making up the rest of the top ten were the Stockholm Archipelago, Sweden, the Azores, Portunal, Roatan, Honduras and Istria, Croatia.

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