Australians are travelling to the US in rising numbers

AUSTRALIA'S fluctuating dollar is having little impact on travel to the US, with Australians expected to take more than a million trips there this year.

The House of Blues in Dallas, Texas. Qantas flights to Dallas have led Australians to travel further afield.

AUSTRALIA'S fluctuating dollar is having little impact on travel to the US, with Australians expected to take more than a million trips there this year.

The US has also overtaken New Zealand as the No.1 overseas destination Australians want to travel to in the next two years, recent Roy Morgan research shows.

The proportion of Australians who'd like a holiday there has grown by more than a third in the past five years, up to a new high of 14 per cent.

While California, New York, Hawaii and Las Vegas are the most popular destinations, travel experts say Australians on repeat visits are increasingly spreading out and exploring other areas.

Brand USA Australia and New Zealand director of strategy Joe Ponte says things started to change when Qantas began flying to Dallas in Texas and expanded its codeshare agreement with American Airlines two years ago.

"People are starting to uncover the diversity of the destination," he says. "What we're starting to see with the Dallas service is that it's unlocking more destinations and making them more accessible.

"There's a huge amount of opportunities from Dallas to travel to places such as New Orleans and Florida, for example.

"You could easily take 10 trips to the US and have a new experience every time you go.

"In recent conversations I have had with people in the industry from Arizona to Florida they're all saying they're seeing a real increase in Australians coming to their destinations."

Ponte says the fluctuating dollar was having minimal impact.

The dollar was at US94¢ this week, down from a high of $US1.10 last year. But it's still a big improvement on the 2001 financial year, when it bottomed at US48¢.

Brand USA was set up to market America around the world two years ago and has been active in Australia for four months. It is planning to launch a major campaign in Australia early next year.

"We're talking really closely with the travel industry to promote the destination and training travel agents," Ponte says.

Research shows Australians stay 15 nights on average in the US, with 94 per cent saying they go shopping while they are there, 36 per cent visiting theme parks, 26 per cent going to a casino and 41 per cent visiting a small town or country area.

US Department of Commerce figures show Australians took 1.1 million trips there last year, 8 per cent more than the previous year.

It is expected to rise to more than 1.2 million this year and more than 1.5 million by 2018.

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