By Marissa Higdon, Editorial Intern for Albuquerque Business First:

According to Wallethub’s list of 2016’s best summer travel destinations, Albuquerque is a great place for travelers this summer.

The site ranked Albuquerque 14th out of the top 80 metro centers in the nation based on travel costs, weather and diversity of activities in the area.

The average amount Americans spend on travel, according to Adobe Digital Index’s 2016 Travel Report, is shrinking by 20 percent to $2,239 this summer from $2,788 in 2015. While that doesn’t bode well for the travel industry overall, it might give a boost to budget-friendly travel destinations like Albuquerque, which scored especially high for low local costs. More tourists would mean more potential customers for Albuquerque businesses this summer.

Tourism is a $6.1 billion industry in the state, and tourists generated nearly $8.6 billion in business sales through direct and indirect spending in 2014.

This isn’t the only news the Albuquerque tourism industry has made lately. Earlier this month, Albuquerque was ranked as one of America’s Favorite Cities in a Travel+Leisure survey. The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau has also undergone a transformation recently, rebranding itself as Visit Albuquerque.

The city got a high ranking in most categories on the WalletHub survey, and did especially well in rankings for local costs, weather and diversity of attractions. Click here to read the full article.