Italy tops U.S. 2013 travel wish list

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NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- If time and money were no object, U.S. adults would like to travel to Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and France, a survey indicates.

The Fly.com survey questioned 875 U.S. travelers Dec. 1-13 about which countries they would most like to visit within North America, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania/Antarctica if money and time were not objects. All respondents were Travelzoo Inc. -- 25 million subscribers -- and Fly.com users.

"It is no surprise that Italy is at the top of America's wish list for 2013," Warren Chang, vice president and general manager of Fly.com, an airline search engine, said in a statement. "The destination conjures up images of romance, history and some of the finest food and wine in the world."

Italy was the clear standout in Europe, with twice as many respondents indicating that they wished to travel there over the United Kingdom and France combined, Chang said. At a regional level, a preference for travel to countries within Europe and Oceania resulted in the two regions accounting for nearly 60 percent of all responses.

Rounding out the Top 10 desired travel destinations were: the United States, Ireland, Spain, Fiji and South Africa.

North America was fourth in the regional rankings, Chang said.

No further survey details were provided.