Where do Minnesotans travel abroad?

Posted at 2:44 PM on January 17, 2012 by Paul Tosto

Stories today of Minnesotans aboard the ship wrecked Costa Concordia got us looking for data on where and how Minnesotans travel abroad.

We got some figures from Kathy Gerhardt at Travel Leaders Group, a Plymouth-based company with franchises across the country. representing roughly 30 percent of U.S. travel agencies.

Gerhardt sent us survey data on the top international destinations being booked by Minnesota Travel Leaders for 2012. Agents were asked to name up to five top destinations they've been booking for 2012; 61 owners, managers and agents from across the state responded.

It's not exact, but the chart suggests it's not that uncommon to find Minnesotans on a Mediterranean cruise.

Rank	Top Int'l Destinations (Minnesota)
1	Cancun, Mexico	53%
2	CRUISE - Caribbean	41%
3	Playa del Carmen/Riviera Maya, Mexico	39%
4	Paris, France	25%
5	Rome, Italy	23%
6	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic	21%
7	CRUISE - Europe (Mediterranean)	18%
8	Puerto Vallarta, Mexico	16%
9	Negril, Jamaica	15%
10 (tie)	Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, Mexico	13%
10 (tie)	Florence and/or Tuscany, Italy	13%
12 (tie)	Barcelona, Spain	12%
12 (tie)	Montego Bay, Jamaica	12%
14 (tie)	Ixtapa, Mexico	10%
14 (tie)	London, England	10%

Steve Loucks with Travel Leaders Group said none of the passengers on the Costa Concordia were booked through the organization. While that ship is part of the Carnival Cruise Line family, "Costa has historically drawn passengers primarily from its European base," he said.

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