Australia tops travel guide poll
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(CNN) -- Look up, Down Under, you're likely to see an increasing number of tourists heading your way soon.
A travel survey conducted by publisher Lonely Planet has revealed independent travelers rate Australia as the destination they would most like to see next.
The poll, conducted before the devastating December 26 Asian tsunamis, drew almost 20,000 respondents from 167 countries.
Australia's popularity as a future destination was followed by Chile, Brazil, New Zealand and Italy.
The island continent also came in first for favorite destination that travelers had visited previously, followed by Italy, Thailand, New Zealand and France.
In the same poll last year, Thailand was the favorite destination visited, with Australia coming in third. Italy has stayed in second place for two consecutive years.
Respondents, while ultimately choosing Europe as their favorite world region (28 percent), also gave a big thumbs-up to Asia (24 percent).
South/Central America followed with 16 percent, while Australia and the Pacific rated at 15 percent.
The survey will no doubt please the travel industry, with 94 percent of respondents stating that travel was very or extremely important to them.
And, despite half of the respondents already having visited 11 or more countries, 48 percent said they still wanted to pursue further travel experiences.
The survey also carries traces of optimism on the back of the tsunami tragedy.
Forty percent said they wanted to give something back to the communities they visited, including volunteer work and working with local communities.
