Top 25 emerging travel destinations to visit in 2020

The world’s top emerging destinations for 2020 have been revealed, and you might be surprised at some of them.

Choosing where to go on holiday is a tricky decision. Tempting as those Insta-famous destinations may seem, sometimes it is nice to go somewhere that’s a little less discovered.

Thankfully, the experts at Tripadvisor have totted up the trip reviews to reveal its annual ranking of the up-and-coming destinations that could put you ahead of the travel curve.

“Emerging” destinations were defined as up-and-coming places with a year-on-year increase in positive TripAdvisor review ratings, which had also seen an increase in “saves” in travellers’ trips.

If you’re looking for something slightly more, er, exotic, the Russian province of Kaliningrad came top of the list, followed by Saranda in Albania and Beirut in Lebanon.

Kaliningrad was described in the poll as “a tiny sliver of Russia between the Baltic Sea, Poland and Lithuania”

The simplified e-visa process introduced by Russia in 2019 was cited by Tripadvisor as making it easier to visit Kaliningrad.

“Travellers are taking full advantage, exploring a stunning city that blends the culture and architecture of eastern Europe and Russia together like nowhere else,” Tripadvisor said.

Commenting on the emerging destination list Tripadvisor spokesperson Emma Shaw said: “Based on TripAdvisor reviews, ratings, and opinions from millions of travellers around the world, the winners highlight the destinations that should be on your travel radar now.”

The awards also highlighted the top 25 trending destinations that were already getting their fair share of attention.

Kochi in India, Luzon in the Philippines and Porto in Portugal were first, second and third respectively.

Of Kochi the travel experts said: “This Indian port city has earned its bucket list status, seeing the biggest spike in top reviews, ratings and traveller interest on Tripadvisor over the last year.

“A blending of small villages on the southwestern coast created the current incarnation of Kochi (or Cochin), where sunset strolls, sampling fresh fish from seaside vendors and boat rides through the islands just offshore are all part of the charm.”

The top 25 emerging destinations in the world, according to Tripadvisor:

1. Kaliningrad, Russia

2. Saranda, Albania

3. Beirut, Lebanon

4. Luxor, Egypt

5. Naoussa, Greece

6. Rugen Island, Germany

7. Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

8. Monopoli, Italy

9. La Paz, Mexico

10. Curaçao, Caribbean

11. Ile d’Oleron, France

12. Guayaquil, Ecuador

13. Tulsa, United States

14. Ipswich, United Kingdom

15. Franschhoek, South Africa

16. Tangier, Morocco

17. Takamatsu, Japan

18. Cala d’Or, Spain

19. Petropolis, Brazil

20. Antwerp, Belgium

21. Mirissa, Sri Lanka

22. Alvor, Portugal

23. Winnipeg, Canada

24. Darwin, Australia

25. Agra, India

Top 25 trending destinations according to Tripadvisor:

1. Kochi, India

2. Luzon, Philippines

3. Porto, Portugal

4. Porto Seguro, Brazil

5. Gramado, Brazil

6. Lombok, Indonesia

7. Da Nang, Vietnam

8. Zakynthos, Greece

9. Tel Aviv, Israel

10. Krakow, Poland

11. Island of Malta, MaltaI

12. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

13. Cusco, Peru

14. Buenos Aires, Argentina

15. Vienna, Austria

16. Fuerteventura, Spain

17. Mexico City, Mexico

18. Chiang Mai, Thailand

19. Fes, Morocco

20. Budapest, Hungary

21. Zanzibar Island, Tanzania

22. Cartagena, Colombia

23. Edinburgh, United Kingdom

24. Cebu, Philippines

25. Moscow, Russia

Words by Marie Claire Dorking

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