DESTINATIONS:LAS VEGAS is the money-no-object place that Irish people would love to go to to escape the recession.
The gambling mecca, which has become a byword for American gaudiness, emerges as the top destination according to subscribers of the gohop.ie website.
No destination in Europe appeared in the gohop.ie top 10. Australia was second, followed by South Africa, Orlando and San Francisco.
The option of a cruise holiday was the seventh most popular choice while Sri Lanka was ranked six, above India at 10.
Other destinations featuring in the top 10 were Mauritius and Dubai while Tanzania also figured prominently just outside the top 10.
Gohop.ie founder Stephen McKenna said the results showed there was a “strong desire for far flung, romantic and exotic holiday destinations for the Irish holidaymaker. I do think there is a desire in Ireland for holiday destinations that offer complete escapism and unique, life-changing experiences”.
Closer to home, Dublin emerged as the most sought after destination last month in a survey by Hotels.com.
Searches for Dublin hotels were up by nearly 900 per cent on November last year, a phenomenon which may have been the result of the cold weather which forced commuters to spend the night in a hotel.
Other places proving to be increasingly popular are Los Angeles, Hurghada in Egypt and Fuerteventura in the Canaries.
