Americans Love Italy, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Ireland: A State by State Analysis
Americans in 10 U.S. states put Italy at the top of their travel list. But Californians love Hawaii. And Indiana folks love Ireland.
New research has revealed the most searched travel destination in each American state. The research, conducted by travel information site Places To Travel, analyzed Google Trends data to establish the top vacation destinations of each state throughout the nation.
The analysis revealed that Italy was the most popular travel destination in 10 states, including New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Arizona.
I just returned from an MSC Cruise on the MSC World Europa that started and finished in Rome. In addition to visiting Malta, Barcelona and Marseille, we had a day tour of the Vatican Museums in Rome, toured around surprising Palermo, Sicily and had a great visit to the Cinque Terre region, just outside of Genoa, Italy. It’s a great cruise, and it was fabulous to see more of Italy.
Hawaii was found to be the second most searched travel destination across the nation, topping the searches of nine states, including New Jersey, California, Texas, Washington, and Alabama.
Speaking of Hawaii, here’s a good item I found on Toronto.com, written by my friend Jody Robbins, with great restaurant tips from talented Maui chef Sheldon Simeon. I dined at his Tin Roof restaurant in Maui last year, and had breakfast at Humble Market Kitchin at the Marriott Wailea Beach Resort, which he recommends. But I didn’t get to try the ribs Simeon raves about.
Seven states had the Caribbean as their top-searched travel destination, including Tennessee, Louisiana, Oregon, Utah, and Nevada.
Las Vegas (I’ll be flying there today) was seen as the top vacation spot for people from four states: West Virginia, Iowa, Missouri and Montana.
Three destinations came in joint fifth – Bali, Japan, and Ireland, with each destination topping the searches in three states each. Bali, Indonesia, was the most searched for in Arkansas, Kansas, and Mississippi. Japan topped the searches in Florida, Georgia, and Colorado. Ireland was the top-searched travel destination of Indiana, New Hampshire, and North Dakota.
Greece and Mexico come in at sixth place, each topping the searches in two states each. New Mexico and Maine both had Greece as their top-searched destination. Oklahoma and Vermont both had Mexico as their most searched for destination.
Banff was the most searched destination in Michigan, while Delaware was seen to have Dubai as its most searched destination. France topped the searches in Wyoming, Iceland topped the searches in South Carolina, and Norway was the most searched for destination in Wisconsin. Scotland and Switzerland were the most searched destinations in Idaho and Maryland, respectively.
Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy. Jim Byers Photo
Here’s the full list, state by state.
| State | Vacation destination |
| Alabama | Hawaii, USA |
| Alaska | Hawaii, USA |
| Arizona | Italy |
| Arkansas | Bali, Indonesia |
| California | Hawaii, USA |
| Colorado | Japan |
| Connecticut | Italy |
| Delaware | Dubai |
| Florida | Japan |
| Georgia | Japan |
| Hawaii | Italy |
| Idaho | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Illinois | Italy |
| Indiana | Ireland |
| Iowa | Las Vegas, USA |
| Kansas | Bali, Indonesia |
| Kentucky | Italy |
| Louisiana | Caribbean |
| Maine | Greece |
| Maryland | Switzerland |
| Massachusetts | Italy |
| Michigan | Banff, Canada |
| Minnesota | Hawaii, USA |
| Mississippi | Bali, Indonesia |
| Missouri | Las Vegas, USA |
| Montana | Las Vegas, USA |
| Nebraska | Caribbean |
| Nevada | Caribbean |
| New Hampshire | Ireland |
| New Jersey | Hawaii, USA |
| New Mexico | Greece |
| New York | Italy |
| North Carolina | Caribbean |
| North Dakota | Ireland |
| Ohio | Italy |
| Oklahoma | Mexico |
| Oregon | Caribbean |
| Pennsylvania | Italy |
| Rhode Island | Hawaii, USA |
| South Carolina | Iceland |
| South Dakota | Hawaii, USA |
| Tennessee | Caribbean |
| Texas | Hawaii, USA |
| Utah | Caribbean |
| Vermont | Mexico |
| Virginia | Italy |
| Washington | Hawaii, USA |
| West Virginia | Las Vegas, USA |
| Wisconsin | Norway |
| Wyoming | France |
CANADIAN GOVT. WARNS AGAINST TRIPS TO HAITI
Canadians should “avoid all travel” to Haiti due to a highly-volatile security situation, according to the Canadian government.
Toronto.com says the government updated its travel advice over the weekend, telling residents to avoid all travel to Haiti due to the “threat posed by kidnappings, gang violence and the potential for civil unrest throughout the country.”
CHINA VISITS TO CANADA STILL LOW: HURTING TOURISM ECONOMY
Moraine Lake, Alberta. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Good story here in the Globe and Mail on the lack of Chinese visitors to Canada.
“Before the pandemic, Canada welcomed roughly 750,000 visitors a year from China, who collectively spent nearly $2-billion on hotels, meals and other items during their stays. Today, arrivals are nowhere close to what they were.
In 2023, there were around 225,000 Chinese visitors to the country, according to figures from Statistics Canada. While that was up sharply from the year before, it was still less than one-third of peak volumes in 2018 and 2019.”
I was told much the same thing a few weeks ago by Destination Toronto.
“China was our number one international (overseas) market prior to the pandemic,” Destination Toronto Vice President Andrew Weir told me. “We had 300,000 Chinese visitors to Toronto. But we’re only at 10% of that” for 2023 visits, he said.
TORONTO PEARSON NAMED BEST LARGE AIRPORT IN NORTH AMERICA
Toronto Pearson has been named the “Best Airport over 40 million passengers in North America” for the sixth time in seven years by Airports Council International (ACI) – World, the global trade representative of the world’s airports. This prestigious award, recognized and coveted by airports around the world, is part of ACI World’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program, which recognizes airports delivering the best experience for their passengers.
The ASQ program is rooted in rigorous scientific methodology that analyses data from passengers who have directly passed through Toronto Pearson, which is more accurate than other surveys that weights feedback from travellers who may not have come to our airport. The ASQ program’s intention is to provide science-based data to enable thousands of airports across the world to continually improve and adapt to increase the quality and consistency of the customer experience.
“The results of this year’s survey and this award is the outcome of the collective hard work from all our employees, to deliver in new ways that heighten the reliability and enjoyment of the experience at Pearson,” said Deborah Flint, President and CEO, Toronto Pearson. “We see the results of our investments in people, assets, and technology that enhanced operations and improved every part of the passenger journey. Whether it’s launching new digital tools to give our customers more control over their experience, to deploying new modernized equipment and completing more asset restoration programs, this is all part of our commitment to providing passengers with a world-class experience – and we are excited to deliver even more in the years ahead.”
I give Pearson plenty of grief when they fail, but I have to admit they did a bang-up job yesterday (March 11). Our Air Canada flight from Rome to YYZ landed at 4:47 p.m. and was at the gate by maybe 4:53 p.m. We were at baggage claim by 5:21 p.m. and our bags were already there. That’s less than half-an-hour from plane to baggage claim, and that’s very good.
AIR CANADA LAUNCHES NEW FLIGHT PASS PLANS
Air Canada has launched the new edition of their Home Away from Home Flight Pass, making staying connected with family abroad not only convenient but also flexible, offering the ability to adjust plans while keeping cost savings top of mind. Whether crossing continents to locations like Seoul, Casablanca, São Paulo, or Hong Kong, reconnecting with loved ones across the globe has never been easier.
Available until April 12, 2024, Air Canada Home Away from Home Flight Pass will be available for purchase for all Canadian Aeroplan members.
- Available zones include:
- South Korea: Seoul (ICN)
- France & United Kingdom: multiple destinations
- North Africa: Casablanca (CMN), Algiers (ALG)
- Brazil: São Paulo (GRU)
- Colombia: Bogotá (BOG)
- China: Hong Kong
- Flight Pass credits allow you to lock in your price and are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase
- Travellers can opt for Economy Standard or Economy Flex
- Credits can be purchased in wallet sizes catering to various family sizes:
- 4 credits for 2 travellers
- 8 credits for up to 4 travellers
- 10 credits for up to 5 travellers
- 12 credits for up to 6 travellers
More information can be found here.
