Australia, Italy, U.K., and France Favorite Foreign Countries for Vacations If Cost Not an Issue

THE HARRIS POLL #39, Embargo Until August 10, 2001

AUSTRALIA, ITALY, U.K., AND FRANCE FAVORITE FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR VACATIONS IF COST NOT AN ISSUE

-Only modest changes in list since last year- -Jamaica moves up- -Canada, Israel and Mexico all slip-

by Humphrey Taylor

For the fifth year running, Australia tops the list of countries where the most Americans would like to go on vacation if cost was not an issue. However, many more people overall choose a European country (44%) than choose a country in the Asia/Pacific region (22%) or a country in the Americas or the Caribbean (17%).

This issue of The Harris Poll shows the latest results of an annual Harris Interactive survey on favorite vacation destinations conducted in July each year. This survey is based on a sample of 1,022 adults nationwide, surveyed by telephone between July 20-25, 2001.

Italy holds second place for the second year in a row. Britain, despite of the drop in its tourism because of the foot and mouth epidemic, moves up from fourth place last year to number three this year. France drops from number three to number four.

In all, there are no big changes, and exactly the same countries fill the top fifteen places as they did last year, albeit in a different order.

The most significant trends are probably the following:

· Jamaica moves up three places from #10 to #7 this year.

· Japan moves up from #13 to #10.

· Canada slips from #7 to #9.

· Israel – perhaps because of the current violence there – down from #8 to #11.

· Mexico slips from #8 to #12.

Readers of this issue of The Harris Poll should note that there are several reasons why this list does not necessarily match or predict tourist behavior. The question says, "If . . . you would not have to worry about cost…" Obviously, traveling to Canada or Mexico, or to Europe, usually is less expensive than traveling to Australia. Secondly, this poll gives each person one vote and is not weighted towards those most likely to travel abroad.

Humphrey Taylor is the Chairman of The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive.

TABLE 1 FAVORITE COUNTRIES FOR VACATION – IF COST IS NOT A ISSUE “If you could spend a vacation in any country in the world outside the United States, and you would not have to worry about the cost, what one country would you choose?" Rank 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 1 Australia 1 1 1 1 1 2 Italy 5 4 4 2 2 Great Britain (England, 3 2 2 2 4 3 Scotland or Wales) 4 France 3 3 5 3 4 5 Germany 4 5 3 6 5 6 Ireland 7 6 7 5 6 7 Jamaica =11 12 8 10 7 8 Switzerland 9 8 =9 =8 8 9 Canada 6 7 6 7 9 10 Japan =13 10 =13 13 10 11 Israel 10 13 * =8 11 =12 Spain * 11 12 11 =12 =12 Mexico 8 9 =9 =8 =12 =14 Greece =11 14 11 =14 =14 =14 New Zealand =13 15 =13 =14 =14

2 TABLE 2 FAVORITE COUNTRIES FOR VACATION – IF COST NOT AN ISSUE – SUMMARY BY REGION Base: All Adults "If you could spend a vacation in any country in the world outside the United States, and you would not have to worry about the cost, what one country would you choose?" 2000 2001 % % A European country 48 44 A country in the Asia or Pacific region 24 22 A country in the Americas or Caribbean 13 17 A country in the Middle East 3 4 A country in Africa 3 3 Other country * * Wouldn’t go anywhere outside US 4 7 Not sure/refused 5 3

Methodology

This issue of The Harris Poll was conducted by telephone within the United States between July 20-25, 2001, among a nationwide cross section of 1,022 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.

In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, interviewer bias, weighting by demographic control data and screening (e.g., for likely voters). It is difficult or impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. ______w14215B Q750

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