Where Americans Visit Most

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By Rob Baedeker

In a year when economic indicators took Grand Canyon-sized plunges, it should come as no surprise that fewer Americans jetted off to foreign lands than they did the previous year.

What may be surprising is that the decline in U.S. outbound travel wasn't worse: Overall, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI), American travelers to foreign countries in 2008 presented only a one percent decrease compared to 2007.

While neighbors Mexico and Canada topped the list, Americans are still traveling to the far reaches of the globe.

Get a look at Americans' 10 favorite foreign travel destinations to see where Americans are going less but spending more, what their favorite overseas travel spot is, and which sunny isle is the country's favorite beach getaway.

Read the full story on where Americans visit most.

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1. Mexico

20,271,000 travelers

The U.S.'s neighbor to the south remains the most-visited country on American's travel list. Visitation last year increased from the previous year by 4 percent, bucking the overall trend of declining outbound travel. According to the Mexico Tourism Board, Cancún, Mexico City, and Los Cabos were the top three destinations visited by Americans last year. The effect of swine flu reports on travel in Mexico in 2009 remains to be seen.

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2. Canada

12,495,000 travelers

"U.S. travel to Canada has declined five of the last seven years," according to the OTTI, and last year was no exception, with a seven percent decrease in U.S. visitation compared with the previous year. Still, Canada remains the second-most visited destination for Americans.

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3. United Kingdom

2,894,000 travelers

The U.K. holds steady as the top overseas destination for U.S. travelers, although it experienced a 7 percent decline in American visitation compared with a year earlier.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33852840@N06/ / CC BY 2.0

4. France

2,124,000 travelers

The cultural and geographical allure of France remains strong for Americans. Although visitation from the U.S. declined by 4 percent compared with the previous year, France remains the No. 4 destination for American travelers, and the second overseas choice, behind the U.K.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lightmatter/ / CC BY 2.0

5. Italy

1,940,000 travelers

While U.S. visitation to Italy showed a substantial (18 percent) decrease, total spending by those Americans in Italy actually increased by 2 percent.