Tripadvisor® remains the consigliere on all matters travel, and they recently announced their top destination picks in their annual Travellers’ Choice Awards. This year there were two new categories, showcasing the top Trending and Emerging destinations – a vital consideration considering the recent trend of holidaymakers traversing off the beaten track to seek more off-grid, sustainable and niche destinations.
The Trending category aims to recognise destinations that saw an upswing in searches, booking interest, and positive reviews, while the Emerging winners have been identified as up and coming hotspots that Tripadvisor users are adding to their saved Trips. Neela Pal, Tripadvisor Vice President of Brand, says, “The Trending and Emerging Destination winners are based on the feedback and growing interest from travellers on Tripadvisor and are therefore fantastic sources of inspiration and planning for discovering somewhere new.”
The top three trending international destinations were named as Portugal’s Porto, Luzon in the Philippines with India’s Kochi taking first place, all of which appeal to nature lovers. Porto (the town after which port wine gets its name) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to various historical buildings, including a 14th-century church, as well as several cellars built along the banks of the Douro River.
Luzon is the largest Philippine island and home to the nation’s capital, Manila. It’s a natural paradise boasting some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world, including spectacular mountains, lush rainforests, bright coral reefs and pristine beaches.
Kochi, also called Cochin, is a collection of small fishing villages on India’s south-west coast and is garnering a budding tourist industry as visitors enjoy sunset walks, boat tours through the various surrounding islands, and sampling the catches of the day. Kochi also has a rich heritage with Portuguese and Chinese influences on both the architecture and cornerstone fishing industry.
As for the emerging destination top spots, Beirut and Albania’s Saranda were narrowly beat by Kaliningrad in Russia. Lebanon’s capital is often nicknamed “the Paris of the Middle East,” and has thriving nightlife for locals and tourists alike. The city has been destroyed many times due to war and civil unrest, yet each rebuild contains traces of the preceding influences, including Ottoman and French colonial dispersed through the current modern architectural style of many buildings.
Saranda is definitely one of the next beach hotspots, with vast stretches of white sandy shorelines, crystal waters and dense forest groves. It also shares the Ionian Sea with the nearby island of Corfu, one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations.
Kaliningrad is a small piece of land on the Baltic Sea belonging to Russia, despite only sharing borders with Lithuania and Poland. It’s famed for its amber harvesting and product industry, and one of its top attractions is the 14th century Königsberg Cathedral.
Neela Pal went on to further explain the new necessity of the new categories, saying, “From the hot destinations our Tripadvisor travellers are currently loving, to fascinating new places whetting the appetite of more adventurous explorers, these winners are all ones to watch, and hopefully visit.” We absolutely agree! Remember to view our local SIM packages if you are planning your European holiday so that you can connect affordably and securely.
Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lealane/2020/02/25/tripadvisor-announces-2020-travelers-choice-awards-for-trending-emerging-destinations-from-key-largo-to-kahliningrad/amp/?__twitter_impression=true, https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-TrendingDestinations, https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-EmergingDestinations
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