International tourism to reach record 1 billion travelers in 2012

A record 1 billion people will travel across an international border as a tourist in 2012, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
That means that one in seven people on the planet will participate in world traveling this year, an activity that just a few decades ago was exclusively for the wealthy.
The reasons for the upswing range from prosperity in developing countries like China to a perception of a more peaceful world.
The London-based council, whose members include executives of travel companies, compiles global travel data including international airport traffic and visa records. It calculates that the 1 billionth tourist will cross an international boundary on December 13.
The top five destinations in the world are Paris, London, New York, Mediterranean resort Antalya, Turkey, and Singapore, the United Nations World Tourism Organization said.