International visitors’ favorite places to visit in the U.S.

Whether you’re shopping at Tiffany, contemplating the Liberty Bell, hiking in Yosemite National Park or throwing dice inLas Vegas, odds are good you’ll meet an international tourist enjoying America alongside you.

New York, Florida, California, Nevada and Hawaii (in that order) welcomed the most international travelers last year, according to the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (a branch of the International Trade Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce).

Combining data from the 2009 and 2010 reports, a and information from visitor bureaus and the National Park Service, here are the top eight groups of U.S.-inbound visitors by nationality. (Destinations are grouped by state rather than in order of popularity.)

Canadians

Destinations: Death Valley National Park, Napa Valley, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Yosemite National Park; Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Orlando, Fla.; Hawaii; Las Vegas; New York City; Philadelphia; Houston; Cody and Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.

Purpose: Holiday (50%) and visit friends/relatives (about 20%).

Activities (in order): Shopping, sightseeing, sports/outdoor activities, bars/nightclubs, national or state parks (close behind the bar scene), museums/art galleries and theme parks.

Comment: Canadians were the top foreign visitors to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in 2007, says Jane Cowley, public affairs officer for Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.

Mexicans

Purpose: Holiday (50%) and business (20%).

Destinations: Los Angeles, Pebble Beach, San Diego, San Francisco; Aspen, Vail, Colo.; Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas; New York City; Dallas, Houston andSan Antonio.

Activities (in order for Mexicans arriving by air): Shopping, restaurant dining, historical places, amusement/theme parks, city sightseeing, small-town visits and art galleries/museums.

Comment: Lindsay Brown, marketing director for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, says that Mexicans (and South Americans) generally like to shop so much that they usually spend most of their trip at the Galleria mall and often book a hotel connected to it.

British

Purpose: Holiday (63%) and visit friends/relatives (20%).

Destinations: Grand Canyon and Sedona, Ariz.; Death Valley National Park, Palm Springs, Pebble Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Yosemite National Park; Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Orlando, Fla.; Hawaii; Las Vegas; New York City; Philadelphia; Houston; Cody and Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.

Activities (in order): Shopping, restaurant dining, city sightseeing, historical places, amusement/theme parks, water sports/sunbathing and small-town visits.

Comment: Jennifer Clarke of VisitBritain thinks the bond between British travelers and California prompted the duke and duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Catherine) to spend July 8-10 in Southern California.

Japanese

Purpose: Holiday (73%) and business (12%).

Destinations: Alaska; Anaheim-Santa Ana, Los Angeles, Pebble Beach, San Diego, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park; Hawaii; Las Vegas; New York City; Cody and Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.

Activities (in order): Shopping, restaurant dining, city sightseeing, water sports/sunbathing, small-town visits, guided tours and countryside tours.

Comment: Jillian Simpson of the Alaska Travel Industry Assn. reports that aurora viewing tours are popular with the Japanese from the end of August to end of April.

Germans

Purpose: Holiday (51%) and visit friends/relatives (22%).

Destinations: San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, Palm Springs; Hawaii; Las Vegas; New York City; Grand Canyon; Hawaii; Chicago; Aspen, Colo.; Philadelphia; Dallas, Houston, Waco (Texas Ranger Hall of Fame); Cody and Yellowstone National Park, Wyo.

Activities (in order): Restaurant dining, shopping, historical places, cultural heritage sites, countryside tours, city sightseeing and national parks.

Comment: Phil Dickinson of Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park says international visitors primarily from Germany, France, Italy and the Britain occupy as much as 97% of Furnace Creek’s rooms in the summer. They don’t mind the higher temperatures and are fascinated by extremes in temperature and elevation.

French

Purpose: Holiday (59%) and visit friends/relatives (20%).

Destinations: Death Valley National Park, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemite; Las Vegas; Grand Canyon; New York City; Philadelphia; Cody, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, Wyo.

Activities (in order): Shopping, restaurant dining, city sightseeing, historical places, art galleries/museums, cultural heritage sites and national parks.

Comment: Jeanne Mills, chef concierge for the MGM Grand, says Las Vegas cuisine and shopping also draw foreign tourists.

Brazilians

Purpose: Holiday (64%) and business (14%).

Destinations: Aspen, Colo.; Anaheim-Santa Ana, San Diego; Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas; Houston; New York City.

Activities (in order): Shopping, restaurant dining, amusement/theme parks, historical places, city sightseeing, art galleries/museums and concerts/plays/musicals.

Comment: Brazilians often use New York City or San Diego as a gateway into America, according to California Travel & Tourism.

South Koreans

Purpose: Holiday (42%) and business (22%).

Destinations: Anaheim-Santa Ana, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco; Hawaii; Las Vegas; Seattle; New York City.

Activities (in order): Shopping, restaurant dining, city sightseeing, cultural heritage sites, amusement/theme parks, national parks and historical places.

Comment: California Tourism statistics show you’re more likely to meet a South Korean in a casino than in an art gallery.

travel@latimes.com