Depending on the season and the special offerings, destinations can be popular one month and flounder the next. When planning vacations, it?s important for both agents and consumers to keep on top of what?s hot and what?s not.

According to Christina Ernst, president of VIP Southern Tours in Georgia, traveling to Europe is what?s hot right now. ?I have lots of summer requests for Portugal and Spain and river cruises, whether in the Mediterranean or Northern Europe,? she said. ?My Europe business is up 60 percent over last year, but it?s all over the board. Panama and Costa Rica are also both very hot, especially for families with children under 12.?
The wine industry is making the Italian isle of Sicily a must-see destination right now. ?Sicily is benefiting from a wine industry that is flourishing and there is a renaissance occurring on Mount Etna and in the other regions on the island,? said Karen LaRosa, owner of La RosaWorks Sicily Travel and Tourism. The Travel Leaders Group recently gathered data from 964 luxury travel agents about the most popular destinations they are booking. The study showed that the top international luxury travel destinations outside of North America are European river cruises, Italy, Mediterranean cruises, Australia and England. And the top up-and-coming destinations are Cuba, the United Arab Emirates, Africa (specifically for safaris), Iceland and Antarctica.
?Iceland is currently offering very affordable flights, especially with a new budget...