(MoneyWatch) Life in the U.S. in the debris of the Great Recession is slowly beginning to improve. Consumer confidence, while still sensitive to trouble signs (Greece, anyone?), is creeping up. One sure sign: More American are taking vacations. According to recent data from the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI), 8.1 million people traveled abroad in the first two months of the year. That’s a six percent increase over the same time period in 2011.

Americans who want to travel internationally but not contend with Europe’s unfavorable exchange rate are turning to less expensive destinations. Through February, travel to Central American had risen 25 percent and was up 11 percent to Asia, according to OTTI. Along with affordability, increased travel to these parts of the world was driven partly by the many tourist-friendly cities in the regions.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) reports that Thailand is quickly becoming a go-to tourist destination. It’s the most popular country in Southeast Asia for international travelers and last year came in as the No. 11 country in the world as ranked by tourism receipts. Malaysia was No. 14 and Singapore No. 15

According to UNWTO, Thailand was one of five international destinations whose tourism receipts grew by more than $5 billion in 2011. The other four countries who saw a similar jump in tourism were the U.S., Spain, France, and Hong Kong.

Although a growing number of Americans are traveling to Latin America and Asia, Europe remains the most popular destination, with travel to the region up 9 percent in the first two months of the year. It’s not just U.S. tourists flocking to Europe — despite its economic woes, Europe draws the largest share of global tourism, at 45 percent. Tourism brought $463 billion into the European economy in 2011.

If Europe as a whole is the most popular region for travel, the U.S. is easily the world’s most visited country as ranked by how much foreign travelers spend. The U.S. last year brought in more than $116 billion in tourism receipts, nearly double second-place Spain ($59.3 billion), according to UNWTO. France ($53.8 billion), China ($58.5 billion), and Italy ($43 billion round out the top five.

United Nations World Tourism Barometer
Top destinations by international tourism receipts (based on 2011 data)

1. United States, $116.3 billion
2. Spain, $59.9 billion
3. France, $53.8 billion
4. China, $48.5 billion
5. Italy, $43.0 billion
6. Germany, $38.8 billion
7. United Kingdom, $35.9 billion
8. Australia, $31.4 billion
9. Macao (China), n/a
10. Hong Kong (China), $27.2 billion
11. Thailand, $26.3 billion
12. Turkey, $23.0 billion
13. Austria, $19.9 billion
14. Malaysia, $18.3 billion
15. Singapore, $18.0 billion

The 2012 Fourth China (Nanling) Peony Cultural Tourism Festival opened at the Yashan Mountain Scenic Spot of Hewan town, Nanling county, Anhui province. The festival is hosted by the people’s government of Nanling county, and is organized by the Nanling tourism administration, the people’s government of Hewan town, and the Anhui China Travel Investment Group Co, Ltd.

Journalists, officials and representatives of the tourism operators from Anhui province and other provinces, plus nearly a thousand tourists and residents attended the opening ceremony.

The Nanling Yashan Mountain Scenic Spot is a national 4A scenic spot and a national geopark. The scenic spot features typical karst landforms and is the largest landscape with karst landforms in East China.

In area, there are several peony gardens. Tiers upon tiers of rare peony of various colors are planted following the terrain of the mountain. In April, the peonies are in full blossom. From 2009 to 2011, the annual peony festival, hosted by the people’s government of Nanling county, has been successfully held three times.

It’s reported that 2012 Peony Cultural Tourism Festival will last from April 1 to June 1. During the festival, the tourists can tour the sea of stones, appreciate the peony flowers, explore the secret caves and see collections from the museum.

The Yashan Mountain Scenic Spot will also simultaneously launch a fashion show among the flowers, present acrobatics and stunt performances, and guide tourists on the self-driving tours. Tourists will enjoy this year’s peony festival, as it perfectly integrates geological wonders, folk cultures and modern customs.

The activities have also incorporated the elements of the native culture of Nanling, and have scheduled special cultural performances of the Nanling’s intangible cultural heritage-Mulian Opera and Shishou Lanterns (Ten Animals Lanterns).

In the future, the municipal committee of the CPC and the people’s government of Nanling county will focus on the construction of infrastructure at the tourism destinations, well organize various tourist festive events, and enhance publicity. This will be done by strengthening cooperation with China’s well-known media and the provincial and municipal TV stations so as to plan a series of innovative activities to promote tourism.

The government will also set up endeavors to promote Nanling’s “Bronze heritage”, “Tang Dynasty heritage”, and “heritage of Three Kingdoms” and the protect the county’s cultural relics and historical sites. These include the national-level Mount Dagongshan ancient Copper Mine site, the Southern Anhui Ancient Tombs, and the provincial- level ancient town, Guniu Mountain.