Big Cities Top Domestic Travel Hotspots List While Leisure Travelers Prefer Less Crowded Locales

The 2012 domestic travel hotspots, as identified in the industry's Travel Trends Survey, have been released. Unlike surveys based on recommendations, this survey assesses actual bookings.

Top 2012 U.S. Travel Destinations

What tops the list? Las Vegas. Coming in second is Orlando, followed by Maui, Alaska cruises, and New York City. Honolulu, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz. (tied) round out the top ten.

2012 promises to be a big year for Hawaii and Florida, each home to five of the top 20 domestic travel destinations. California lays claim to three of the top 2012 travel destinations.

Cruising is gaining in popularity. Alaska and Hawaii cruises made the top 20 list. Travel agents who primarily work with leisure travelers said small ship cruises are particularly popular.

Leisure Travel Picks

Travel Trends Survey tracks both business and leisure travel which perhaps accounts for the presence of mostly big cities with strong convention bookings on the list. Popular family destinations are lucky to make the list given that even among leisure travelers, families with children make up only 30 percent of the total, according to U.S. Travel Association statistics.

One of the critical trends for leisure travelers is the lure of off-the-beaten path destinations, the Travel Trends Survey noted. What might some of those destinations be?

Lonely Planet compiles its top picks list based in part on what's new, interesting, or likely to be overlooked. Its picks largely avoid the big city landscape, instead suggesting the rural Hudson Valley in New York, tiny California gold mining towns, the Four Corners region of the Southwest and far-flung Culebra, Puerto Rico, accessible by ferry or air. There were some cities on the list, but instead of New York and Las Vegas, Lonely Planet picked Boulder and Cincinnati. For Boulder, Lonely Planet recommends biking and hiking while in Cincinnati it touts the footbridges, brick roads, and historic architecture.

Tops for Families

The Best Western hotel chain looks to Amy Graff, senior editor of the On the Go with Amy travel blog, for family travel destinations. This list includes some uncommon destinations like Clayton, N.M., Bainbridge, Wash., Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., and Manchester, N.H. Clayton boasts 500 dinosaur tracks, Santa Fe trail ambiance, and the opportunity to explore a volcano crater from the inside out. The allure of Bainbridge is its quiet island culture, while Ft. Walton Beach serves as a family-friendly, budget alternative to Miami. Tractor and pony rides, along with nearby ski resorts are among the attractions of Manchester.