Top spots — Asia, European river cruises hot in travel for the new year

NEW YORK — Destinations in Asia and river cruises in Europe are among the hottest new trends in travel as 2007 begins, while changes in passport regulations and a growing awareness of environmental issues may also affect where and how people vacation in the new year.

ASIA: Is Asia the new Europe?

China was No. 1 on Lonely Planet's annual list of hot destinations for the new year, and China also placed first for the country representing the best value for the dollar in a survey of members of the U.S. Tour Operators Association. The U.S.T.O.A. picked Southeast Asia as the hottest up-and-coming area for packaged travel, with the No. 2 spot going to China, India and Croatia in a three-way tie.

"China and India are off the charts," agreed Sandi Hughes, vice president of AAA Travel, the automobile association's travel services division. She attributed the growth in travel to the region to a combination of business travel spurred by U.S. investment; immigrants and their families traveling back and forth; and pure leisure travel by Americans interested in culture, history and monuments.

The continued weakness of the dollar against the euro and the British pound may also be leading some American travelers "to look for alternate destinations," said Rick Garlick, director of strategic consulting for the Maritz Hospitality Research Group. "Places like Thailand and Singapore have gained a new appeal."

The first nine months of 2006 showed air travel to Asia by U.S. citizens was up 7 percent over the same period in 2005, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, compared to a 4 percent growth in travel to Europe.

The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany remained among the top 10 overseas destinations for travel by U.S. residents in 2005, which was the most recent full year for which data were available from the Commerce Department. But travel to Japan, No. 7 on the top 10 list for 2005, was up 40 percent from 2004; travel to China, No. 10 on the list, was up 21 percent; travel to No. 12 Hong Kong was up 25 percent, and travel to No. 15 India was up 33 percent.

RIVER CRUISES: The new craze in European vacations? River cruising. "You stop in villages, towns and vineyards along the way," said Bob Whitley, head of the U.S. Tour Operators Association. "You have access to inland areas of countries in the Baltics, France and Germany that the big ships can't get to. It's equivalent to an escorted tour without the unpacking." He added that the trend is big among tourists to China as well, with cruises on the Yangtze River.