Top destinations past and future

Last week, Orbitz published two lists about destinations, the first looking back at the most popular destinations of the last five years, and the second of “locations that should be on everyone’s must see list” in the next five years.

The looking back on popular destinations list is comprised of Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, and Los Angeles domestically; and London, Cancun, Toronto, Paris, and Vancouver on the international front. I think that most of these cities will continue to be among the most popular travel destinations in the years to come as well. It’s interesting that two on the list, London and Vancouver, are upcoming Olympic cities, and though there’s some debate about just how much hosting an Olympics actually benefits tourism, it’s safe to say that a lot of buzz is being generated for both destinations.

The second list is based on staff picks of destinations that may well become more popular in the next five years. That list is Shanghai, China; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Reykjavik, Iceland; New Orleans; and Cape Town, South Africa. Some of these destinations are already on the radar of many travelers, but the point of this list seems to be that they will become even more popular in the coming years.