The BBC World Service survey found the most common view in all nations polled was that Obama — who staged a euphoric European tour two months ago that included a speech to 200,000 fans in Berlin — should win in November.

An average of 46 percent of all those questioned thought US relations with the rest of the world would improve if Obama took office, compared to just 20 percent for McCain, the survey of 22,500 people found.

Global approval ratings for the United States are currently low — a BBC World Service poll earlier this year found 49 percent of people surveyed had a negative view of US influence, compared to 32 who viewed it positively.

Those most optimistic about an Obama presidency’s impact on US external relations were people in America’s NATO allies — Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Italy — as well as Australia, Nigeria and Kenya, where Obama has family.

Forty-six percent said having a black US president would "fundamentally change" their perception of the United States, and 27 percent said it would not.

"Large numbers of people around the world clearly like what Barack Obama represents," said Doug Miller, chairman of GlobeScan which conducted the poll.

"Given how negative America’s international image is at present, it is quite striking that only one in five think a McCain presidency would improve on the Bush administration’s relations with the world."

However, there is nothing to suggest Obama’s popularity abroad will bring success at home — he is neck and neck with McCain in US opinion polls, and a similar BBC survey before the 2004 US election found strong global support for John Kerry, the Democrat who eventually lost to incumbent George Bush.

In Tuesday’s poll, the margin in favour of Obama ranged from just nine percent in India to 82 percent in Kenya. On average, 49 percent preferred Obama to 12 percent in favour of McCain.

Nearly four in 10 people did not take a position, with this attitude most common in Russia, Singapore, Turkey, India and Egypt.

An average of 46 percent thought US-world relations would improve under Obama, 22 percent thought they would stay the same and seven percent thought they would get worse.

Only 20 percent thought relations would improve under McCain, although this figure was around 30 percent in China, India and Nigeria. An average 37 percent expected no change and 16 percent thought relations would get worse.

A separate poll in the United States mirrored these conclusions, with 46 percent expecting better relations under Obama and 30 percent under McCain.

Travelers from all over the region have chosen Boracay Island and Palawan province in the Philippines as two of the best holiday destinations in Asia this year, according to a Web poll by online travel magazine Smart Travel Asia.

The 2008 online poll showed Boracay and Palawan ranking seventh and eighth respectively in the top 10 holiday destinations in Asia. Palawan shared eighth place with Chiang Mai, Thailand. Both Philippine destinations were jointly ranked seventh in the 2007 Smart Travel Asia poll. 

Boracay is famous for its white sand beaches, which make it a popular tourist spot in the country. On the other hand, Palawan is rated by National Geographic Traveler magazine as the best island destination in East and Southeast Asia region in 2007, and the 13th best island in the world having "incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes." Some of the most famous tourist spots in Palawan are the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, Coron Bay in Busuanga and the El Nido Marine Reserve Park.

The otherworldy Bali, Indonesia was chosen Asia’s top holiday destination in the Smart Travel Asia poll for the third straight year followed by Phuket, Thailand; Kerala, India; the island republic of Maldives; shopping mecca Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand. Angkor, Cambodia ranked ninth place while Koh Samui, Thailand and Rajasthan, India both shared tenth place.

Smart Travel Asia said the poll results revealed the continued dominance of Thailand as a "holiday brand" with four destinations in the Top Ten, and the strong emergence of India.

The same poll also showed El Nido Resort Lagen Island in Palawan ranking among the top 25 leisure hotels and resorts in Asia this year.

According to Smart Travel Asia, the poll results reflect the online voters’ "substantial hands-on travel experience, word-of-mouth at dinnertime chats, as well as an idea of the brand drawn from advertising and editorial exposure in the media, which is mostly online." Smart Travel Asia is the region’s only dedicated online travel magazine with over one million readers worldwide.