5 Hottest Places To Travel In 2020 For Your Best Vacations – Forbes

Iconic Chureito pagoda during cherry blossom season with mt. Fuji, Fuji Five lakes, Japan

In less than a month we will be in a new year, and for many of us, that means a reload of our vacation days. If youve got kids, it means another spring break and assorted school vacations. For all of us, it means another spring, fall, summer and winter, so no matter what your leisure preferences, schedule or the type of travel you enjoy, it means another year full of exciting possibilities.

Some destinations never get old, and when you look at consumer surveys of dream trips, Italy is usually at the top of the list, always popular and hard to argue against. Hawaii is another evergreen dream destination. At the opposite end of the spectrum are places that become like candles, burning brightly but quickly. Just a few months ago USA Today ran this headline: Iceland was the hottest tourist destination: what happened? In this case, one of the explanations is that visitors who were lured by the proximity (Europes closest country) and the many (accurately) gorgeous Instagram photos they had seen, went with little knowledge of cuisine (eh) or just how expensive it was (very).

But for as long as I have been covering travel, a quarter of a century, there has always been an Iceland of the moment, a place that gets hot from media buzz rather than concrete reasons. If you havent been to Italy or Hawaii, by all means go, but if you are looking for something new, consider the places that are emerging as the new timely hotspots. There are limitless great possibilities when it comes to travel and you should go wherever your heart takes you - its not a Place A is better than Place B thing. But there is also an argument for being ahead of the curve, and when you see lists of heavily over-touristed spots such as Venice, Bali and Barcelona, you cant help but wish you had gone years ago - when they first became hot.

Im thinking about rationales to go to certain places now, so I look at each of these through the lens of why? and try to find a logical reason why a destination suddenly comes into vogue. In many cases its because of improvements to lodging or infrastructure that makes them more enjoyable, comfortable, safer or easier to visit. It can also be a decline of the appeal of direct competitors, or a general societal trend that the destination happens to be in sync with. It can be the most practical of all travel reasons - budget. But in every one of these cases, the logical explanation likely means the spot is better to visit than it has been previously, and thats a good reason to go. So, based on critical observations and insights, these are the 5 Hottest Destinations of 2020, as picked by me.

Vibrant Tokyo is one of the world's great cities, but there's a lot more to see in Japan.

Japan: The hottest of all the red-hot destinations, Japan has broken tourism records the past couple of years in a row and has been enjoying a perfect storm of tourism appeals that have elevated it onto the cover of just about every travel magazine. The big one is the 2020 Olympic Games, and after they view the countrys photogenic culture on TV, spectators will want to go. Japan has also benefited in just the past few years from an explosion of interest in its amazing skiing, arguably the best in the world, and certainly the snowiest. This has spiked interest in once off-season winter travel, and it shows no sign of slowing as Western brand resorts from Park Hyatt, Hilton, Club Med and Ritz-Carlton pour into Japans ski resorts. Many other new luxury hotels have opened both in and far beyond Tokyo, and more are coming, including the citys second Four Seasons.

Japan has also benefited enormously from the recent rise of interest in all things culinary, and while still very unrepresented in this country beyond generally mediocre sushi and to a lesser degree ramen, Japanese cuisine is incredibly varied, artistic, and like skiing, arguably the worlds best. Its also an easier place to get to then ever before, with more and faster direct flights and a big expansion of Tokyos nearer and more user-friendly Haneda airport. In a world increasingly rocked by violence, protests and disease outbreaks, it remains one of the safest places you can go, both from a crime and health perspective. Finally, for those seeking out a vibrant Pacific Rim urban experience, Tokyo will likely pick up traffic lost by Hong Kong and its authoritarian crisis (as will Singapore and Taipei).

Jaffa historical Old Town and Tel Aviv city modern skyline, Israel

Israel: 2018 broke the countrys record for visitation from the U.S., and this looks to be another all-time year: after the first half of 2019, the pace was 8.3% ahead of last year. Several new luxury hotels opened (most notably the Setai Tel Aviv in a 12th century fortress) and at least 17 more new hotels are under construction in the small nation. The Tel Aviv airport is getting a major expansion, just about every upscale tour operator is expanding into the region, and for example, Audley and Backroads both just announced the additions of their first Israel itineraries - based on customer requests. Attractions include religious sites, history, ruins (the Masada fortress s a UNESCO World Heritage Site), beach resorts and outdoor activities/adventure, another hot and growing travel market segment. The culinary trend in travel is raising many countries stature, but Middle Eastern and Israeli food is especially hot right now.

India's Lake Palaces are gorgeous, and while some are major tourist attractions, others have been ... [+] turned into luxury hotels.

India: Long popular for top tourism sites like the Taj Mahal, there has been a lot of growth in other attractions, such as Tiger safaris (read why you should go here) and the mountains, as India is often overlooked when people think Himalayas. The explosion of interest in yoga in recent years has also helped, and like Israel and Japan, India is riding high on the wave of culinary interest. But the biggest driver may be the amazing hotel scene, as India is home to the very best on earth: I personally would put its homegrown chains Oberoi, Leela and Taj ahead of many of the marquee Western luxury brands, but they are here too. The urban hotels are over the top and the ones outside cities occupy drop dead gorgeous lake palaces and ancient fortresses. Ive written here at Forbes before about what makes Indias hotels so great, but they keep growing and getting better. Oberoi, simply as good as hospitality brands get, has expanded into river cruises, all the best tour operators have flocked here, and in India you have the creme de la creme of every option: luxury trains, luxury cruises, and more luxury hotels than you can imagine.

Turtle Beach, Culebrita, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico: Not only has the islands tourism infrastructure rebounded from the devastating hurricanes - several major resorts saw $100 million-plus rebuilds with incredible spas and facilities - but it has expanded fast. The island will soon have thousands more hotel rooms than it did before the disaster, including a new Four Seasons, JW Marriott, Waldorf, and many others. It is arguably the top golf destination in the Caribbean, and the courses have been fully restored. It is the easiest destination in the Caribbean to get to, has benefitted from the rollback of the ease of visiting Cuba, and many travelers have chosen to visit specifically to use their tourism dollars to help out fellow citizens who have been ignored by the federal government. Im planning to be one of those.

For a small country, Portugal has many distinct regions, and its Azores Islands are suddenly a hot ... [+] spot.

Portugal: Along with Iceland, Portugal has already been one of the hottest destinations for several years, but it has a more convincing story and more staying power. Convenience? Check, its the closest country in continental Europe. Value? Check, Portugal was always one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe, and while the move to the Euro reduced its edge, it has proven to be a place where dollars still go far. The food is amazing (and cheap), the wine is amazing (and cheap), the weather is very good, and it has several desirable and unique regions for a relatively small country.

When I started in travel, most visitors just went to Lisbon and the surrounding beach towns. But the recent growth has been spurred by the Duoro River Valley and Porto, a charming small city, to the north, wine country where major new hotels and luxury resorts have opened like wildfire, from Six Senses to Thailand-based Anantaras first foray into Europe. Portugal has always been one of the continents top golf destinations, but like skiing in Japan, American consumers were slow to realize that. It also has the very unique network of government owned pousadas, historic and colorful building such as castles, churches and monasteries that have been preserved by being turned into Inns, and staying in these is one of the best ways to experience the country. Its a concept you wont find a elsewhere (except in neighboring Spain where they are called paradors). There are still swaths of the country that have escaped notice but are picking up momentum, and most recently, interest has surged in Portugals two unique and very different Atlantic island destinations, Madeira and the Azores island group.

Portugal managed to remain a hidden gem for decades, and now that is has been thrust front and center into the spotlight, it still offers plenty of opportunities for second, third, fourth and fifth visits. Ive been several times and still havent gotten offshore. But I will, maybe in 2020.

Thats just scratching the surface, and I heartily advocate numerous spots in South America, Southern Africa, and elsewhere that are emerging, though they havent quite reached the hot level these five have. But theres always 2021.

Safe travels!

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5 Hottest Places To Travel In 2020 For Your Best Vacations - Forbes