Britain ranks third in destination survey

Travellers have voted the United States as the country they are most likely to visit next, knocking Australia off the top slot, according to a survey by trip advisers Lonely Planet.

Australia had lead the annual Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse Survey since it began in 2004 but was pushed into second place by the United States. Britain came third.

"The United States is obviously becoming increasingly popular due to the exchange rate of the dollar, making what was once an expensive country to travel in a lot more accessible," Lonely Planet marketing analyst Adam Stanford said in a statement.

Greece, the No. 10 most likely destination last year, fell off the 2008 list, while Canada debuted at No. 9 this year.

Australia, however, remained the favourite destination category for the fourth consecutive year with Italy in second place again and the United States creeping up a place to the third position.

"Australia is a classic destination for travellers which has so much to offer, it's likely to remain popular with travellers for a long time to come," Stanford said.

The survey is one of the largest of its kind, with 17,500 respondents from 132 countries taking part.

It was conducted between March and April 2008 on www.lonelyplanet.com and through websites and e-newsletters from 14 partner organisations.

The Traveller's Pulse Survey 2008, which included for the first time detailed questions about the use of technology on the road, found that most travellers rely heavily on their mobile phones while on holiday.

Some 82 percent of respondents said they always or sometimes take a mobile with them on their travels and the main reasons were to stay in touch and to remain connected.

Twenty-four percent said they used their phone to download practical information.

"Technology is allowing travellers to connect with their destination and its people, giving them a better time on the road. If you're in the middle of Peru and can't find a guesthouse you can search the web on your mobile and in no time at all find a room for the night," Stanford said.

Following are the top 10 countries respondents to the Lonely Planet 2008 survey said they were likely to visit next. A second list shows travellers' favourite countries. Last year's rankings are shown in brackets.

COUNTRY MOST LIKELY TO VISIT NEXT:

1. United States (2)

2. Australia (1)

3. United Kingdom (5)

4. Italy (3)

5. New Zealand (9)

6. France (7)

7. Thailand (4)

8. Spain (6)

9. Canada (-)

10.China (8)

FAVOURITE COUNTRY OF THE ONES VISITED:

1. Australia (1)

2. Italy (2)

3. United States (4)

4. United Kingdom (8)

5. Thailand (3)

6. New Zealand (6)

7. France (5)

8. India (-)

9. Canada (9)

10.China (-)