Sport, media and culture to define 2010's tourism hotspots

(Steve Rosset)

Next year's sporting and media events are likely to dominate travel through 2010, according to predictions from British Airways.

The airline, one of the world's largest, released ten hotspots on December 11 that it has internally earmarked as big attractions for travellers. Major sporting events such as the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to be held in South Africa, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India are predicted to be big crowd-pullers. South Africa expects around 350,000 visitors during the tournament, Vancouver 250,000 and New Delhi 50,000.

It is also believed that media events will affect destination choices. New York is predicted to retain its popularity, helped by the sequels to legendary chick flick Sex and the City and 1987 corporate drama Wall Street. Meanwhile 2009 hit The Hangover is expected to rekindle interest in travel to "haven for partying" Las Vegas, whilst Jay-Z and Beyoncé's recent trip to Dubrovnik are expected to boost Croatia's popularity.

British Airways believes that growing traveler enthusiasm for ecotourism will make European Green Capital 2010 Stockholm a popular destination. Istanbul, the European Capital of Culture 2010, is also expected to be a big hit in terms of airline miles.

The Top Ten Tourist Destinations of 2010
Compiled by British Airways

1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Istanbul, Turkey
3. Las Vegas, USA
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
6. Dubrovnik, Croatia
7. New York, USA
8. Stockholm , Sweden
9. The Maldives
10. New Delhi, India