Latin American Cities Becoming Increasingly Popular with U.S. Travelers

As beach vacations dwindle and the summer comes to a close, Hotels.com has identified the most popular destinations for travelers in the first half of 2014 with insights from the Hotel Price Index (HPI).

By examining the top international destinations for U.S. travelers, and the top U.S. destinations for foreign visitors, the HPI is also able to forecast popular destinations for the rest of the year and beyond.

For U.S. travelers, Latin America is trending on the 50 Most Popular International Cities for Americans list and is likely to continue its heightened popularity through the rest of the year and into 2015. Many Latin American cities are experiencing considerable developments in their hospitality sectors.

During the first half of 2014, Mexico City (#16) and Cancun (#20) ascended four spots, while Panama City (#35) and Bogota (#38) each boosted their popularity ranking by four positions. This year also marks the debut of Lima (#44) on the list of 50 Most Popular International Cities for Americans.

With five Mexican cities dominating the Latin American contingent, it is clear that the country's efforts to rebound from the unfavorable spotlight over the past few years are making considerable traction. This is the first time since 2012 that Puerto Vallarta (#42) has made the list.

As the tourist board's "Live It to Believe It" marketing campaign continues to saturate the airwaves and attract new visitors, Americans may opt to further explore the cultural offerings of other Mexican cities.

The chart reflects the popularity of international cities based on actual bookings by U.S. travelers during the first half of 2014, as compared to the first half of 2013.

The top spot on the Most Popular U.S. Cities for Foreign Visitors list was once again claimed by none other than the Big Apple, followed by Las Vegas and Orlando. Meanwhile, several other cities in Florida and New York experienced an influx of international travelers in the first half of the year, as Clearwater (up 12 spots to #36) and Fort Myers (up five spots to #39) saw two of the biggest jumps in the rankings. Brooklyn, N.Y. (#34) also saw a big boast, climbing eight spots.

For the first half of 2014, international visitors were more interested in history than Hollywood, according to the popularity rankings, with the debut of the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia) knocking Tinseltown (Hollywood) out of the Top 20 to number 23. Also dropping in ranking was Anaheim, falling from number 15 to 17.

International travelers continued to show their interest in other Californian cities, however, with both Los Angeles and San Francisco moving up in the ranks from number five to four, and number six to five, respectively.