Americans likely to travel wider

A shaky economy notwithstanding, Americans intend to travel farther and spend more in 2012, according to a nationwide poll. Long-haul bookings to Europe, Asia and Australia are up in 2012, comprising 11 of the top 20 destinations for US travellers, compared to nine in 2011, the survey of 640 travel agents showed. Over 90 per cent said their clients will spend the same or more on travel in 2012. The top two international destinations for 2012, based on actual bookings, remain Caribbean cruises and Cancun, Mexico, as they were in the 2011 survey. Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong, China, missing from the top 20 in 2011, made the list in 2012, and Sydney, Australia, ranked 19th last year just missed making the top 15. \"We are very encouraged to see the rise in popularity of such a diverse group of international destinations,\" said Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group, which conducted the poll. Advance bookings Last-minute leisure travel is down. Eager to lock-in optimum pricing and driven by reduced airline capacity, leisure travellers continue to book further in advance of their travel date. Almost 40 per cent of the agents reported higher bookings in 2012; 40.8 per cent said bookings were even; and 19.7 per cent reported lower bookings than in 2011. More than 11 million passports were issued in the US last year.