Lonely Planet shares its top picks for best-value destinations, cities, regions and countries.

 

East Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia has been hailed as the top 10 best-value destination for next year in “Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020”, the 15th annual collection of the world’s hottest destinations and journeys for the year ahead. This 224-page edition places particular emphasis on the best sustainable travel experiences for 2020.

East Nusa Tenggara, which has beaches, lakes and more, has highlights like the Kelimutu National Park, Komodo National Park, Weekuri Lagoon and Pantai Mawan. Second and third on the Best in Travel 2020 behind the archipelago are Budapest, Hungary, and Madhya Pradesh, India, respectively. Others that were shortlisted: Buffalo, US; Azerbaijan; Serbia; Tunisia; Cape Winelands, South Africa; Athens, Greece; and Zanzibar, Tanzania.

For the top 10 best cities, Lonely Planet chose Salzburg, Austria for its top pick. A very popular tourist destination, Salzburg is famous for four things – its Baroque architecture and general prettiness (the old town is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site); as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the Salzburg Festival, a series of opera, concerts and theatre performances during the summer; and as a place where the movie “The Sound of Music” was shot. Coming at the heels of Salzburg are Lonely Planet’s second and third picks – Washington, DC, US, and Cairo, Egypt, respectively. The rest of the contenders include: Galway, Ireland; Bonn, Germany; La Paz, Bolivia; Kochi, India; Vancouver, Canada; Dubai, UAE; and Denver, US.

In the top 10 regions by Lonely Planet, the Central Asian Silk Road is at the top, which is now more accessible than ever before, thanks to visa improvements for the majority of the world’s citizens, along with massive transportation and infrastructure investment. Le Marche, Italy, comes in second, followed by Tōhoku, Japan. Others on the list include: Maine, US; Lord Howe Island, Australia; Guizhou Province, China; Cadiz Province, Spain; Northeast Argentina; Kvarner Gulf, Croatia; and Brazilian Amazon. In terms of the countries, Lonely Planet notes Bhutan as the number-one country to visit in 2020. The kingdom is set to become the first fully organic nation by 2020. It is followed by second-place England and third-place North Macedonia. Others on the list include: Aruba, eSwatini, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Liberia, Morocco and Uruguay.

So now you have some ideas on some sustainable travel destinations for your travels next year that maybe you have not gone. All you need to do is choose the one you want, book your flights and enjoy.

 

** “Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020” is in major bookstores and is sold at US$17.99 (S$24.52).

 

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