Americans like to pick favorites. A favorite water brand, a favorite child, a favorite vacation destination, you get the gist. And while Americans largely disagree on what (or who) is chosen for the first two, there is one vacation destination that Americans choose more often than any other: Mexico.
According to TravelPulse, a travel industry publication, Mexico was the most popular place in the world for Americans to vacation at in 2016. More than 6 percent of respondents to a TravelPulse survey listed Mexico as the top spot. The next most popular was the Caribbean.
Six percent might sound underwhelming, but take into consideration that people could have chosen literally anywhere in the world. Mexico was chosen primarily by Gen-Xers and their families, while young professionals leaned toward the Caribbean. Sure there’s the usual destinations like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, but there’s also more authentic destinations like Tulum and Oaxaca.
All in all, Americans spend an average of $2,041 on every vacation they take. More than $475 billion were spent by Americans in 2016. American Millennials aren’t getting the travel they really want, though, according to TravelPulse. The top destination if people could go wherever they wanted? Space.
