Air travelers from around the globe are increasingly finding themselves using Charlotte, North Carolina as a stopping point on their way to other final destinations. The city has been named by the Washington, D.C. Brookings Institution as one of the most rapidly growing markets for those traveling internationally. This is detailed in the organization’s report, Global Gateways: International Aviation in Metropolitan America.

In 2011, there were 1.1 million passengers traveling by air to and from Charlotte Douglass International Airport and other foreign markets. This is an overall increase of 66.4 percent when the data is compared to 2003, during which the airport serviced 632,359 international airline passengers.

The vast majority of these air travelers making their way via Charlotte were traveling between either the Caribbean or Latin America. At 27.6 percent, Western Europe was the second most common destination or point of origin. Trailing in third place, North American international traffic was reported to be at 12 percent.

Much of the travelers were utilizing the Charlotte Douglass International Airport as a means of reaching other destinations, and neither originating nor stopping at the airport.

In addition to the Charlotte findings, The Brookings Institution report lists Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas as also experiencing major rates of growth. The majority of international travelers make their way through Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.