Travel briefs

Industry expects winter travel to increase

WASHINGTON -- The Travel Industry of America is forecasting an increase in winter travel this season.

The organization says Americans are expected to take more than 31 million business trips this season and leisure travel is expected to grow by 2 percent.

Top destinations named

NEW YORK -- What do Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and France have in common?

They were the top international destinations booked by visitors to the Yahoo! travel site in 2003. Top domestic destinations were New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando and Miami.

Looking ahead to the first three months of 2004, Denver joins the list of top U.S. destinations, bumping out New York, and Italy joins the list of top international spots, pushing out Canada.

Magazine lists greatest hotels, resorts

NEW YORK -- Looking for the top U.S. ski resort or the top hotel in Paris?

The January issue of Travel + Leisure includes the magazine's list of the 500 greatest hotels and resorts in the world, as ranked by its readers.

Little Nell in Aspen, Colo., was chosen as the top U.S. ski resort. Europe's top hotels included the Connaught in London, the Ritz in Paris and the Four Seasons in Milan, while the Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Westin in Sydney, Australia, and the Cape Grace in Cape Town, South Africa, also made the list.

-- From wire reports