ASTA’s 2011 “Hot Spots for Summer” survey found that London, Rome, Paris and Cancun remained the top four choices for Americans for the eighth consecutive year. The survey, which asked ASTA travel agents what destinations were hot for this summer season, found that Western European destinations are the most popular overall with six cities in the top 10.

The airline industry consensus forecast released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that by 2014 there will be 3.3 billion air travelers, up by 800 million from the 2.5 billion in 2009. By 2014 international aviation will handle 38 million tons of air cargo, up 12.5 million tons from the 26 million tons carried in 2009.

Following a successful 2010 for the tourism sector, marred briefly by last month's damage from Hurricane Tomas, St. Lucia's hotels and resorts are sharing an optimistic outlook for the New Year.

Three experts on tourism trends in the United Kingdom and Europe have painted an optimistic picture of the British market for the Caribbean tourism sector in 2011. A panel of media and industry practitioners concluded in London that the worst is over for the global economy and that the Caribbean region can look forward to an improved performance next year, despite the impact of the British Air Passenger Duty (APD)

Sixty percent of consumers around the world are planning to spend as much or more on their vacations this year as they did on their last getaways, according to new research with Survey Sampling International’s (SSI) global online panels. The consumers most likely to increase their vacation spending are in the Pacific Rim. Americans and Japanese are the likeliest to skip their vacations.

Luxury travel in both the business and leisure segments is set to increase over the next 12 months, according to the results of a survey released by Small Luxury Hotels of the World. The survey was targeted at members of The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the luxury brand’s customer recognition program. Forty-one percent of respondents said they expected to have more disposable income in the next year, with 11 percent saying they expect to see a significant increase.