Mates, they still like America

The US continues to be among the top choices for visiting Australians, according to the latest American Express Travelers Cheques Usage and Attitudes Survey. Rounding out the top three destinations for Australians are Europe and Asia. The proportion of Australians visiting the US dropped to 18% from 22%, but that was still good enough for third place in the survey. European visitor levels were similar to 2000, while Asia recorded a slight increase. Despite the rise of Internet bookings, travel agents are still the most popular option for organizing travel, the study found. Seventy-eight percent of travelers cheque users and 84% of non-users booked trips through a travel agent. The average length of trips by Australian travelers: four weeks. The average spent: $5,500 per trip.