ROME -- Asked where they would like to travel for the 2011 Christmas holidays, the overwhelming majority (71%) of Italian travellers surveyed chose a tropical destination, with 29% selecting a ski excursion to the mountains.

 These are only some of the key findings of a recent Christmas holiday survey conducted in late October by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel Web site*, with a sample pool of 1,047 Italian travellers.

 "This survey reconfirms the strong appeal of tropical sea spots among the most voted destinations for Christmas holidays and shows that treating oneself to a winter getaway in a hot destination is still regarded as a dream vacation by the majority of the Italians surveyed”, commented Lorenzo Brufani, TripAdvisor spokesperson in Italy. “But the Dolomites, one of Italy's great attractions for ski fanatics, known also for the quality of their tourist packages, have been crowned by mountain-lovers as a top skiing spot”.

 Among the travellers who chose a tropical destination to treat themselves to a King Christmas holidays, more than one third of respondents preferred the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Islands, whereas the Islands of South Pacific hold second position among the most longed-for tropical sea spots, followed by Southeast Asia and South America.

 Proximity to the sea is one of the most desirable qualities in a tropical destination.

 Pressed to specify what they like most about tropical spots, the travellers revealed that they particularly love:

 -The climate

 -Lush natural surroundings

 -The feeling of time disappearing

 -Friendly people

 Still, for tropical sea spots, sandy beaches are the number-one must-have factor.

 According to travellers’ responses, the must-have factors in a tropical destination are:

 -Beaches with fine sand

 -Coral reefs

 -Fresh seafood

 -Forests and natural parks

 -Charming hotels

 The Dolomites top the list of skiing destinations.

 Over a third (39%) of the travellers surveyed who opted for a mountain holiday would travel to the Dolomites for Christmas, with Austria and Valle d’Aosta respectively coming in second and third. Swiss Alps and Scandinavia round out the list of the “white” gems for Christmas holidays.

 Invited to detail what they look for in a skiing destination, more than one in three travellers surveyed (32%) chose winter charm, whereas sunsets, the silence of the mountain and the love of skiing have been voted in the lower part of the list, followed by eating polenta and games in the lodgings.

 As for must-have factors when skiing, Italian respondents give priority to:

 -Spa

 -Extra ski activities (snowshoes, walks, sledding etc.)

 -Charming hotels

 -Gourmet food available on ski runs

 -Difficult ski runs