Travel Goal Getter Travel Blog

China Wins 2013 Top Travel Destinations Bracket!

4/9/2013

The votes are in! China has won the Inaugural 2013 Top Travel Destinations Bracket Championship. China was a #1 seed just like #1 Louisville won the Men's NCAA Basketball Championship last night. Thank you to everyone who played along and we look forward to watching the countries battle it out again next year. Here's how the top 10 most visited countries in world fared in this years tournament:

1) France (79.5 million visitors) lost to Taiwan in the third round
2) United States (62.3 million visitors) lost to Thailand in the Sweet 16 round
3) China (57.6 million visitors) CHAMPION
4) Spain (56.7 million visitors) lost to Hong Kong in the Sweet 16 round
5) Italy (46.1 million visitors) lost to China in the Elite Eight round
6) Turkey (29.3 million visitors) lost to Taiwan in the Elite Eight round
7) United Kingdom (29.2 million visitors) lost to Costa Rica in the second round
8) Germany (28.4 million visitors) lost to Russia in the Sweet 16 round
9) Malaysia (24.7 million visitors) lost to New Zealand in the second round
10) Mexico (23.4 million visitors) lost to Thailand in the Elite Eight round

Data based on UNWTO International Tourist Arrival statistics.

Take a look at the final bracket:

2013_top_travel_destinations_tournament_bracket6.pdf
File Size:	204 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Top Travel Destinations Bracket - China vs. Thailand in the Championship Game

4/6/2013

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Over the past several weeks, the world's top travel destinations have battled it out in our inaugural 2013 Top Travel Destinations Bracket. Teams were initially seeded based upon UNWTO inbound visitor statistics (i.e. the top 4 travel destinations in the world were the #1 seeds, the next four the #2 seeds etc.). The winning countries from each round were determined by the actual NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament results (i.e. if the #9 seed beat the #1 seed in the actual basketball tournament, then the equivalent #9 seeded country would also advance). UNWTO reports that the final two countries, China and Thailand had International Tourist Arrivals of 57 million and 19 million, respectively.

We are now down to our final match-up and we need your help to pick the winner! If you had to pick, where would you like to visit more, China or Thailand? We will announce the winner on Monday after the real game has concluded.

2013_top_travel_destinations_tournament_bracket5.pdf
File Size:	111 kb
File Type:	pdf

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64 TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS BRACKET - FINAL FOUR REMAIN!

4/1/2013

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The final four Top Travel Destinations have been determined! The Saturday and Sunday games resulted in...
#4 Thailand beating #3 Mexico
#4 Hong Kong crushing #3 Russia
#1 China squeaking by #2 Italy
#9 Taiwan pounding #2 Turkey.

To keep it simple we'll open up voting for the winning destination after next Saturday's games.

The Final Four Top Travel Destinations:

#1 China
vs.
#9 Taiwan

#4 Thailand
vs.
#4 Hong Kong

The final four countries are certainly interesting (especially after 64 games with many upsets!) with all being in Asia. But, Asia is a top travel destination and the latest report from UNWTO shows an increase of 6% in total tourist arrivals in 2011. Total international tourist arrivals were 217 million, second only to Europe's 504 million arrivals. The winners were determined by the actual NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament results (i.e. #9 seed beating #2 seed matched up with the equivalent country seeds) and the initial seedings were based on UNWTO International Tourist Arrival Statistics.

The latest bracket:

2013_top_travel_destinations_tournament_bracket5.pdf
File Size:	204 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Get your own map of the world to track states visited, countries visited, and continents visited. Set travel goals and keep track of bucket-lists too! Learn more - Travel Goal Getter iPad App.

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64 TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS BRACKET - 8 TEAMS REMAIN!

3/30/2013

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Thank you everyone who has followed along with our inaugural 2013 Top Travel Destinations Bracket! We are down to the remaining top 8 travel destinations in the world! If you've been following along, there have been some major upsets both in the real tournament and in our "for fun" countries bracket. Some of the upsets on Thursday and Friday: #4 Thailand crushed #1 United States, #3 Russia beat #2 Germany, and #4 Hong Kong smashed #1 Spain. Which country will you pick as the Top Travel Destination winner? Check back to cast your vote once we are down to the final four. Winners are announced soon after each round of the real games are completed.

The Great Eight Round:

East
#1 China vs. #2 Italy

West
#4 Thailand vs. #3 Mexico

Midwest
#9 Taiwan vs. #2 Turkey

South
#1 Spain vs. #3 Russia

It's not too late to fill out a bracket! Print out the updated pdf bracket below:

2013_top_travel_destinations_tournament_bracket4.pdf
File Size:	111 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Travel Goal Getter iPad App
Track States Visited, Countries Visited, Continents Visited & Bucket-Lists

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64 TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS BRACKET - 16 COUNTRIES REMAIN!

3/25/2013

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Thank you everyone who has followed along with our inaugural 2013 Top Travel Destinations Bracket! We are down to the remaining top 16 travel destinations in the world! The winners were determined by the actual NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament results and the initial seedings were based on UNWTO International Tourist Arrival Statistics. If you've been following along, there have been some major upsets both in the real tournament and in our "for fun" countries bracket. Despite all the upsets, three number 1, 2, & 3 seeds remain. Which country will you pick as the Top Travel Destination winner? Check back to cast your vote once we are down to the final four. Winners are announced soon after each round of the real games are completed.

The Sweet Sixteen Round:

East
China 1 vs. Cambodia 12
Austria 3 vs. Italy 2

West
United States 1 vs. Thailand 4
Mexico 3 vs. Costa Rica 15

Midwest
Taiwan 9 vs. Cuba 13
Croatia 6 vs. Turkey 2

South
Spain 1 vs. Hong Kong 4
Russia 3 vs. Germany 2

It's not too late to fill out a bracket! Print out the updated pdf bracket below:

2013_top_travel_destinations_tournament_bracket3.pdf
File Size:	110 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Travel Goal Getter iPad App
Track States, Countries & Continents Visited & Bucket-Lists

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2013 TOURNAMENT BRACKET - TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS COUNTRIES EDITION

3/19/2013

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Which country will prevail as the 2013 Top Travel Destination Tournament Winner? Do you like to fill out a March Madness Basketball bracket for the men's and women's NCAA tournament? Do you not like to follow college basketball and the tournament? Here's another idea: how about a bracket for top travel destinations, including first round "play-in" countries! Have fun and play along as we determine winners, losers, and I'm sure some upsets too! We'll announce winners soon after each round of the real games are over. Download the PDF below. Let us know how you did! Check back for updates! Some "bubble" countries/territories that nearly made the tournament this year were: Bahamas, Guatemala, Montenegro, El Salvador, Guam, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mauritius, Maldives, Honduras. Better luck next year! The final two destinations and winner will be based on your votes so check back to cast your winning destination!

The countries/territories and seedings are based on UNWTO International Tourist Arrival Statistics. Winners of the rounds are based on our picks and the final game and winner are based upon reader/user votes.