Egypt is No.1 with adventure travellers

Egypt, the land of pyramids and pharaohs, was the world's number one ranked travel destination in 2005, according to a new survey.

The country, whose Red Sea resorts boast beaches and dive sites to match its well-preserved historic sites, ranked top among adventure and experiential travellers.

The survey by iExplore.com is welcome news for Egypt's tourist chiefs concerned about the impact of the terrorist bombings of Sharm El Sheik in July 2005.

In topping the rankings, Egypt swapped places with 2004's number one destination Peru, whose main attraction for adventure travellers is the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu.

Third and fourth placed destinations in 2005 – the Galapagos islands, off the coast of Ecuador, and China – also swapped places from their 2004 rankings, while India remained in fifth place.

There was a greater shift in the second half of the top ten, with both South Africa and New Zealand featuring for the first time.

South Africa's increasing popularity with adventure travellers saw it move up to number six from 13th place in 2004, while New Zealand moved up nine places to ninth.

France, Italy and Alaska also featured in the top ten, in seventh, eighth and tenth place respectively.

Chile and Costa Rica fell out of the top ten in 2005, while the year also saw strong growth for Morocco (12th) Argentina (14th) and Jordan (16th).