Switzerland’s continued popularity with Americans was confirmed by recently released tourism data of the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics. The number of nights Americans spent in Swiss hotels shows a growth of 8.9 percent, while arrivals increased by 11.5 percent. The upward trend started in the fourth quarter of 2009 and accelerated in the spring and summer of 2010.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Argentina jumped 27.1 percent in 2010 compared to the year before, while dollars spent increased 25.9 percent according to air and sea arrivals and City of Buenos Aires numbers compiled by the country’s Statistics and Census Office, Indec.

The St. Lucia Tourist Board said stay-over arrivals on the island in the Lesser Antilles hit an all-time high last year, with 305,937, a 10-percent jump over 2009. Tourism Director Louis Lewis said the results are impressive because of ways the industry was affected last year by natural events, including Hurricane Tomas blowing through in November, the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in April and bad weather in major source markets in December.

un, sand, surf and a sea of friends and possible dates is the recipe for a successful Spring Break holiday for North American university students. Online travel advisor Cheapflights.com provides a list of the top 10 Spring Break destinations.

The property market in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis remains vigorous, as the number of air flights into the islands increases. The unspoiled islands of St. Kitts and Nevis, with their excellent beaches and attractive landscape, are less expensive than most Caribbean islands, though real estate prices have been increasing since the early-2000s. Price rises slowed during the past two years due to the global crisis, but the upward movement did not halt.

The U.S. travel activities market totaled nearly $27 billion in 2009, making it almost twice as large as the car rental segment, according to a new report from travel industry research firm PhoCusWright. While less than one-third of all travel activities, events, attractions and tours were booked online in 2009, a growing aggregator network and advancements in technology and commercial models will power significant growth in advance bookings and online distribution.