Recently, Luxury Travel Magazine published a list of the top destinations for 2012. You'd expect Paris, Monte Carlo, and Dubai to top the list, but you'd be wrong. Instead, exotic destinations like Tasmania, Jordan and the Congo dominated. With so much competition from the likes of Vegas and other more obvious destinations, how did these spots become top-of-mind for affluent travelers?

Half of Affluents are now optimistic about the U.S. economy, solidifying the significant increase observed in February 2012, and marking the highest level in a year, according to our March survey. The study was conducted online March 20-28, 2012 with 1,000 Affluent individuals, defined as adults living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income.

As the travel industry prepares for an uncertain summer season (amid airfare price hikes, decreasing demand and the growth of "staycations"), many advertisers are setting their sights on reaping the rewards of a re-energized business travel segment. Thanks to job growth, improved productivity and recent economic gains, the frequency of travel among affluent ($100K+) business travelers is starting to heat up. As a result, it's paying dividends for some leading brands.

The U.S. (and France) is a shopper's paradise for the Chinese. The Chinese prefer to buy their merchandise "at the source" because they believe by doing so they 1) can save a lot of money and 2) have greater selection.