A fascinating map has revealed the most popular summer destinations around the world for 2024 – and it’s London and Dubai that are the globe’s joint favourite spots.
On the map, country names have been supplemented with the names of the places their residents most want to visit. The most popular summer destinations for each nation were identified by an analysis of Google search data and keywords related to summer travel, including searches made both in English and in the native language of each respective country.
London and Dubai each top the bucket lists of 10 countries. Norway, Iceland, Ireland and Spain are among the countries searching for the UK capital, while the residents of Pakistan, Qatar, and Mauritius are all hoping for a summer holiday in Dubai.
The research reveals that for Americans, Cancun is the most popular international destination and Las Vegas is the most sought-after domestic destination.
Miami is the second-most popular summer destination worldwide and is the top choice for eight countries, including Guatemala, Panama and Peru.
In the study, by tech website Cloudwards, Barcelona comes third with six countries placing the Catalan capital first, including Portugal, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Next is the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, which is favoured by five countries, including neighbouring Paraguay and Uruguay.
Tokyo and Toronto share voting honours, with the two cities ranking joint fifth with four votes each. Toronto is top of the list for Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, while the Japanese capital is first in Thailand and Singapore.
In joint third are Malaga, Paris, Rome and Singapore, ranking first in three countries each.
Cancun, first for Canada as well as the U.S, and Lisbon, first for Switzerland and France, rank joint seventh with two votes each.
Other destinations to make the ranking, coming top in just one country each, include Athens, Bali, Cyprus, Florence, Hong Kong and Istanbul.
A separate map for the U.S reveals the most popular summer destinations abroad for every state.
While Cancun ranks first as America’s most popular summer destination globally, due to it receiving the highest search volume overall, the research found Cancun and London each top the list in 18 states individually.
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Residents in Kentucky, Colorado and Texas hope to holiday in Mexico’s coastal city. Meanwhile, those in New York, Tennessee and Florida all want a summer holiday across the pond.
Vancouver Island takes second place with a total of three votes from Alaska, Oregon and Washington.
Located off Canada’s Pacific Coast, the summer destination offers ‘a mix of mountainscapes, beaches along the Fraser River Delta and vibrant city life’, according to Cloudwards.
In joint third place are Tokyo and Bermuda, which top the wish lists of two states each. Connecticut and New Hampshire place Bermuda first, while those in California and Hawaii wish to venture further afield.
The study also reveals that Americans like travelling internationally to Tulum, Singapore, Toronto, Machu Picchu, Florence and Istanbul in the summer. The holiday destinations rank first in one state each.
A third map shows the top domestic summer destination spots for Americans.
First-place Las Vegas wins by a landslide of 14 votes, with Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Idaho, Minnesota and Hawaii all ranking the ‘neon city’ first.
‘Aside from casinos and gambling arenas, Las Vegas also has kids’ activities, like theme parks, botanical gardens, aquariums and circuses,’ Cloudwards notes.
Boston and Chicago tie for second place, with votes from five states each. Chicago ranks first in Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Indiana, while Boston is top in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.
In third place is Denver, coming top in four states including Nebraska and South Dakota.
The Floridian coastal destinations of Panama City Beach and Miami tie for fourth place, each ranking first in three states. Panama City Beach ranks top for residents in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, while Miami is top for New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts.
Seattle, Memphis, Washington D.C and Myrtle Beach come joint fifth, each ranking as the top summer destination for two states.
Other cities to make the ranking, with one vote each, include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Nashville, Houston, San Diego, Minneapolis, Dallas, Charlotte and Portland.
To find out more about the research, and the most popular summer destinations, visit: www.cloudwards.net/where-the-world-wants-to-go-for-summer-vacation/.