In the year ahead you’re going to want to travel and explore the world. We know you are. So to help inspire you, get you daydreaming and thinking about all the great places the world has to offer, we thought we’d create a list of the hottest destinations in 2019. These are locations where our Producers want to visit or are hearing a lot of buzz about.
First off, let’s head east to The Philippines. Stay away from the luxury island of Boracay which was recently shut down becasue of overtourism and environmental neglect. Instead look to more affordable, quieter and nicer destinations such as Coron in Palawan which is picture postcard perfect, Cebu which is an easy flight from the capital Manilla and Siargao, the best place to surf in the country.
Next, it’s time to look at Serbia. After the War in Yugoslavia, Croatia quickly emerged as a European favourite for it’s gorgeous coastline, great food and wine and scenic places such as Dubrovnik which is used as King’s City of Game of Thrones. But Serbia, long thought of as backwards, has made great strides lately. In June of 2017 the country elected an openly gay female Prime Minister who has rallied for LGBTQ rights and helped bring Serbia to the world’s attention. To many who’ve visited Serbia this isn’t as strange as it may seem for a staunchly Christian Orthodox country. Belgrade is famous as a party town with an open mind, the wine regions make great and affordable wine and the country’s culinary traditions and spas are renowned. They’re ready to welcome tourists and anxious to integrate into the EU.
Moving west, Austria once again rises to the top of many people’s list of the hottest destinations in 2019. Thanks to great connections globally from Austrian Airlines which is a member of the Lufthansa Group and other Star Alliance carriers, travel to Vienna, Salzburg and Graz is easy. The country offers culture, history, urban shopping, rural splendour and great outdoors experiences. Its expensive but becasue it offers so much to see and do in a small and well organized area, it’s well worth the cost.
Morocco in North Africa has charmed visitors since the dawn of history and 2019 will be no different. Stay away from Casablanca as it’s a pretty indistinct large city, instead focus on the Medina in Marrakech, the food and architecture of Rabat, try to experience Berber culture and definitely visit Essaouira a walled fishing village on the Atlantic coast which inspired a lot of 1960’s music including Bob Dylan’s classic All Along the Watchtower.
And finally no list of the hottest destinations in 2019 would be complete without adding Uruguay. Tucked away in South America between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay is a bastion of liberalism. It was the first country to legalize pot, it offers medical insurance for all and it’s renowned for its food and wine. Ponte del Este on the coast is known for its beautiful people and wealthy patrons while the capital Monteverde oozes with colonial charm and some throughly modern art and underground music scenes.
This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of the hottest destinations ion 2019, just a collection of the places that are top of mind for us. We’d also add Tasmania, the Maldives, Tanzania, Poland, Colombia and Finland to the list. What about you? What’s on your hit list for the year ahead?
