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American Samoa listed in Top 10 Destinations to visit by Lonely Planet for 2013

Top travel guide “Lonely Planet” announced on CNN yesterday their “Top 10 US Destinations” to visit in 2013, which features American Samoa at number five.

US Travel Editor for Lonely Planet, Robert Reid said every year their US based editors team up with Lonely Planet’s expert authors to compile a list of US destinations that are prime for next year.

Best in Travel 2013 already covered two places we think the world should be looking at — San Francisco and the Gulf Coast — but here we wanted to dig deeper and shine a light on 10 places in the US that travelers should add to their wish lists for the coming year.

Our 2013 picks are literally all over the map: once-in-a-lifetime northern lights, new top- tier museums, moose trails, Polynesian paradise and barrels of bourbon.

American Samoa was ranked number five by Reid who wrote:

Did you know a US Passport can get you to an isolated South Pacific paradise without even leaving US Territory? From the mainland, American Samoa is a longer trek than Hawaii, but the distance rewards the visitor with some of the most stunning, untouched beauty of Pacific and a National Park that even the most ardent park system fans won’t have checked off their list yet. From the US, flights run from Honolulu to Pago Pago on lovely Tutuila with waterfalls, fishing villages and spectacular beaches nearby. But press on with a quick flight on Inter Island Air to nearby, 3-sq-mile Ofu in the Manu’a Islands, with shining, palm-fringed white sand flanked by shark tooth-shaped mountains. The best time to visit is Flag Day, April 17, when there are activities galore. This may be US territory, but it’s some of the purest Polynesia you’ll find anywhere.

Executive Director of the American Samoa Visitors Bureau, David Vaeafe said the announcement today by Lonely Planet on CNN has given American Samoa a huge boost in its efforts to promote and grow tourism.

“To have editors who have visited our shores place us in the ‘Top 10’ US Destinations to visit for 2013, endorses that we live in a paradise that is so undiscovered.

“This is a first for American Samoa.

“We have just completed a mini marketing awareness campaign in California and Hawaii last month and then this announcement today has raised our profile right across the mainland US and the world,” he said.

The Lonely Planet Top 10 US Destinations List for 2013:

1. Louisville, KY

2. Fairbanks, AK

3. San Juan Islands, WA

4. Philadelphia, PA

5. American Samoa

6. Eastern Sierras, CA

7. Northern Maine

8. Twin Cities, MN

9. Verde Valley, AZ

10. Glacier National Park, MT

Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel publication and 2013 marks its 40th anniversary with over 100 million guide books printed to date.

This is the third year of the Top US Destinations List, which is among the top read articles on lonelyplanet.com every year — receiving over 12 million visitors each month.

To view the complete Top 10 US List for 2013 visit:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/travel-tips-and-articles/77583

(Source: ASVB)