India has been rated among the top five tourist destinations by the annual Lonely Planet Pulse Survey.
Australia was rated as the top global destination in the survey that polled nearly 20,000 respondents from over 167 countries. After Australia, the most desired destinations to visit in the future were Chile, Brazil, New Zealand and India.
The survey was conducted before the tsunami disaster struck South and Southeast Asia.
It found that 94 per cent of respondents felt that travel was very or extremely important to them and 95 per cent said that exploring other cultures when travelling was important or very important.
"The Travellers' Pulse survey showed that independent travel has a powerful effect on people. Sixty-five per cent of respondents said that independent travel had a major impact on their respect for other cultures, while 44 per cent said it strongly impacted the development of their personal values and ethics. Thirty-nine per cent said it had a major impact on their responsible travel habits," it said.
"A vast majority of travellers would rather explore a new culture than chill out: 95 per cent of respondents said that exploring other cultures when travelling is important or very important to them. Other top motivators were a sense of adventure, and relaxing or escaping life," the survey said.