Growth in home exchange trend. According to HomeExchange.com, the biggest online home exchange company in the world, people who choose home exchange for their holidays stay for longer and spend more in their respective local economies. Summer 2013 tourism indicators reveal that limited budgets, due to the sustained crisis, have led to an increased trend in shorter-stay holidays, although the trend in home exchange is growing. This holidaymaking formula grew by 13% between summer 2012 and summer 2013. The length of time spent on holiday was also longer than average. A recent study by the University of Bergamo (Italy) amongst 47,000 members of HomeExchange.com/Trocmaison.com demonstrated that almost half of those exchanging houses spent more than two weeks on holiday: 42% of them spent between two and four weeks and 4% went for longer than a month. These tourists also spend more in the local economy in purchases and cultural goods. According to the survey, 66% of them spend more than $1,000 per person per holiday. The most popular home exchange destinations see the US in first place, followed by France and then by Spain, Italy, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia and Germany, which joined the Top 10, this year. The 2013 ratings also confirmed the increasing popularity of countries like Brazil, New Zealand, Argentina and Mexico. (IL/transl.fl)