The Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Commonwealth Games in India and FIFA World Cup in South Africa mean these countries will see a boom in tourism over the next 12 months. Brazil has also been boosted with the hosting of the World Cup in 2014 and Summer Olympics in 2016. Mexico is bouncing back from the swine flu while countries such as Chile, Bolivia and Peru are becoming more common destinations for those looking for a more distinctive trip, according to the online travel giant.
 
Countries outside the eurozone will maintain their popularity, due to the continued high value of the euro, including Balkan states such as Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia as well as the now more traditional Egypt and Turkey.
 
Next year will see holidaymakers willing to spend more on flights to long-hauldestinations in order to find better value holidays in higher quality hotels.
 
The Far East - such as Malaysia, Borneo and Indonesia - will grow in popularity with adventurous Britons keen to get more for their money.
 
Domestic holidays will continue to appeal next year with many traditional locations, be they popular for city or beach breaks, enjoying a renaissance. London and Edinburgh remain firm favourites for short trips together with other major towns such as York, Oxford and Brighton.
 
Low hotel prices in the US will continue to tempt visitors. In Las Vegas, two recently opened hotels - the 1,495-roomed Vdara and the 4,000-roomed Ariel in the vast new CityCenter - are an added attraction while the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, due to open in the spring, will sustain the appeal of Orlando in general and Universal Studios in particular.
 
Expedia.co.uk product management director Jonathan Cudworth said: “This year, travellers have shown that they are unwilling to give up their well-earned holiday. Customers can choose from such a wide variety of destinations these days with the flexibility to choose exactly when they want to travel so making predictions can be a risky business. However, we know that sport will dominate the travel calendar for the best part of next year with South Africa, Vancouver and India all key hotspots. And it is great deals that will still be one of the main draws.”