Those were the top 3 international cities with U.S. tourists last year, according to the Hotel Price Index. Mexico City, Tokyo and Dubai showed the biggest increases. MORE
George G visits a unique museum, with numerous original parade floats
Join Marilyn Jones at Monticello, where a variety of themed tours are available for visitors
Riads are old Moroccan homes built by wealthy people. Many have been converted to hotels and some into restaurants. We visit one in Fes.
A small local eatery featuring freshly caught fish, on a side street in one of Portugal’s most famous beach cities.
Big is the order of the day at a cathedral built to show off the growing wealth of the city’s rulers
Monarch butterfly feasting on brilliant impatiens flowers in the Zoo’s butterfly enclosure
What’s also interesting about the information is that it’s from hotels.com which says in the first line it’s helping us find “the best cities around the world”. I’m not sure I buy the premise that popular is best. Another index I also find VERY interesting, in the quest to locate interesting places for longer stays on a budget, is the cost of living index for places around the world. While visitor costs and resident costs are not the same, still, it’s an interesting tool and also gives us ideas for places to visit we not otherwise think of or consider (it does for me anyway). See it here.
That’s a great point! I never like “best” lists, anyway…and like to stray into any place that looks good and take a chance on whether it’s “Zagat-quality.”
The cost of living is interesting, too, especially for travelers on tight budgets; my experience in Portugal last summer (see BLOG here on TravelGumbo) has sent a couple of younger colleagues off to plan Portugal trips instead of more expensive parts of Europe.