It’s our favorite time of year, conferring with our network of travel experts all over the world as we dream up a shortlist of destinations that have captured our attention and imagination. This time, however, we’re taking a different track—not only thinking about where is inspiring and upwardly trending for the year to come, but which places are destined to be international hotspots by the end of the next decade.
Expect to see some classics, staples, and foolproof destinations on this list (try as we might, there are a handful of stalwarts that always seem to find their way onto our bucket list). But alongside the tried-and-true, there's a new league of cities and countries emerging—places that have made their way to the forefront of our and our trusted experts' minds as we start thinking more critically not only about how we treat our planet, but how we treat each other. Get your passports ready—here, list of must-visit destinations for 2020.
1. Uzbekistan
There are only a handful of manmade structures on our planet—like the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, and the Pyramids—that elicit a visceral awe in us all. They speak to us when we see them in photos—and we must obey and follow their call. It’s time to add another wonder to this pantheon of monuments: the Registan in Samarkand, three arabesque buildings arranged around a central square that glitter with their turquoise-topped spires and intricate tile work. Even locals spend their evenings in the waning shadows, along with tourists from all over the world who’ve made the pilgrimage to see the impressive complex with their own eyes.
But Uzbekistan tops our list for myriad reasons beyond the Registan. A change in government in 2016 set the foundation for a dedicated focus on garnering tourists: new infrastructure was laid down, boutique hotels began sprouting up, and restaurants started catering to curious visitors interested in sampling Central Asian fare (think: Turkish meets Russian cuisine). And the comparison to Turkey is apt—Uzbekistan feels like the country's baby brother with vibrant urban centers topped by minarets, and a sprawling, arable interior where some of the freshest produce on the planet is grown.
Visit now, as the secret’s almost out; Steppes Travel, operating in the country since the fall of the Soviet Union, saw a 200% increase in passenger numbers in 2019. “It’s the antidote to over-tourism,” says Jarrod Kyte, the brand's product director. “Unlike elsewhere in the world, encounters with people in the Stans have not yet become commoditized due to the low tourist footfall.” Beyond the circuit of three important Silk Road stops: bustling Samarkand, Bukhara’s inner-city oases, and sand-swept Khiva, Kyte recommends taking the time to visit the Fergana Valley, which not only boasts some of the finest ceramics in the world, but offers stunningly lush scenery surrounded by the towering Tien-Shan mountains.
2. Sydney, Australia
For years, Melbournians have touted their hometown as Australia’s fun, most livable city, with cool bars and a dining culture that’s elevated both coffee and veggie-forward eating (hello, avo-toast). Sydney, though bigger, was the show pony—a beautiful burg fit for the click of the camera and not much more. But everything’s about to change: the beginning of 2020 marks the end of the state’s stringent lockout laws—legislation aimed at curbing violence due to late-night alcohol consumption—in Sydney’s Central Business District, which will inevitably breathe new life into the flagging bar culture.
While the club scene’s been sleeping, Sydney has been taking strides to redevelop its rougher edges, bridging the gap between its two traditionally touristed districts, Circular Quay and Bondi Beach. Now the Inner West is booming— neighborhoods like Redfern, Eveleigh, and Surry Hills sport a checkerboard of mom-and-pop shops, speakeasy pubs, hipster cafes and trendy boutiques selling everything from house plants to reupholstered Danish furnishings.
Most importantly, however, is the emergence of aboriginal ingredients on the dinner plate and the spate of one-, two- and three-hatted restaurants (the Australian equivalent of the Michelin star) that are honoring the country’s original landowners by infusing their entrees with bright flavors like finger limes, lemon myrtle, and a smattering of desert berries and seeds. The Yerrabingin rooftop garden atop a new tech tower in the Inner West is the perfect showcase for Australia’s newly re-emerging flavors that blossomed before the arrival of Europeans. They sell their herbs and flowers to Paperbark—easily the best meal we had in 2019; don’t miss the plant-based prix fixe menu.
3. Houston, Texas
Beware Chicago: Houston is coming for you. Texas’s largest metropolis is poised to usurp the midwestern burg’s number-three position in the next national census. And with a population increasing at a significantly faster rate than cities #1 and #2 (New York and Los Angeles), who knows where Houston will rank by the end of the 2020s.
The thing about Space City is its incredible amount of sprawl (the nickname’s double entendre isn’t lost on us.) Sure, LA is known for its vastness, but Houston isn’t hemmed in oceans and canyons—even its most central neighborhoods are unusually roomy. Locals see this as a boon for the upcoming wave of development: land prices remain remarkably affordable for a destination with so many people, and filling in the cracks with small-business endeavors—restaurants and bars—is inevitable as the city further bolsters its well-deserved reputation for incredible eating. If you're a New Yorker, Angeleno, or Chicagoan currently rolling your eyes, trust us—you’ll be hard pressed to find better Vietnamese or Mexican cuisine anywhere else in America .
In many ways, Houston is kind of like Dubai, using its wealth earned from the region’s natural assets to import high culture, like state-of-the-art museums to world-class performing arts centers. It’s certainly worked for Dubai (you’ll find the emirate on many other “best of” lists this season), and efforts are already starting to pay-off in southern Texas. The Museum of Fine Arts is getting a hefty campus expansion in 2020—it’s the largest cultural project under way in all of North America and will dramatically change the flow of pedestrian traffic in the city with new public plazas, reflecting pools, and gardens. The Houston Botanic Garden will be completed in 2020 as well; the crown emerald of the city’s greening efforts to connect its park space in what has been dubbed the Bayou Greenways. The Houston Farmers Market will expand across 18-acres, and a smattering of food halls are on the docket for next year, too; but the most ambitious project in the city is the amalgamation of a handful of research institutions, which will come under a single umbrella as the largest medical campus on the planet, the Texas Medical Center, which is sure to encourage even more food, nightlife, and cultural newness for the city in the next decade.
4.Israel
This small but dynamic country has ended up on our must-visit list more than once this past decade, but it's becoming a classic for far more reasons than one. "If Tel Aviv is the extroverted and eccentric younger brother, Jerusalem is an enigmatic and surprising city that has a contemporary side usually unknown to travelers," explains Tova Wald of Boutique Travel & Events. With almost more cultural festivals and museums per capita than any city in the world, and a homegrown dining scene that has taken the rest of the world by storm thanks to Chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Assaf Granit, this old city is much more than meets the eye. A boom of luxury hotels and boutique property openings—like Villa Brown, The Orient, and Lady Stern Hotel—a thriving design and contemporary art scene, and a cornucopia of gourmet restaurants, like Mona, Assaf Granit's Machneyuda, and newcomer Satya, Jerusalem beckons the interest and attention of the world's savvy travelers and tastemakers. In 2020, the much-anticipated high-speed light rail between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will finally open, creating new waves of tourism and easy access between Israel's largest cities. Additionally, the Mamilla Hotel's renowned Rooftop restaurant overlooking the Old City will re-open in January 2020 after a full renovation.
In the north, "One of the oldest cities in the world dating back more than 5,300 years, Akko, sits as the fortified capital of the glistening Western Galilee, a region that boasts more than 150 boutique wineries, world-class eateries by acclaimed chefs, and some of the most unspoiled and undeveloped beaches in all of the Mediterranean," Wald says. When visiting Akko, the place to stay is the Efendi Hotel, a 12-room boutique property transformed from an Ottoman Palace. "The hotel is the vision of acclaimed Chef Uri "Buri" Jeremias, who oversaw the restoration of the two original Ottoman buildings and hand-painted motifs and frescos along the walls and ceilings, including a fresco of an ancient Istanbul, as well as the building's Byzantine foundation and Crusader-era cellar," Wald says. When there, do not miss a lunch or dinner at Uri Buri, the Chef's equally acclaimed seafood restaurant where impactful flavor combinations of quality, fresh ingredients are enjoyed on Akko's waterfront.
Located on the unique land-bridge between Asia, Africa and Europe, Israel's Negev Desert is a majestic region that boasts a bevy of natural wonders, unfiltered experiences, and some of the best stargazing and desert hiking. This summer, the epic Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport opened its tarmac in southern Israel, a game changer for the country which until now, has operated internationally solely out of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. The new airport will optimize the Ministry of Tourism's efforts to develop the southern Israel regions, Eilat, and the Negev Desert as an up-and-coming tourism destination, while making for easy transfers to Jordan and Egypt. The airport, aside from being 18km from Eilat, is 45 miles from Jordan's Wadi Rum, and 7 miles from Egypt's Taba resort city in the Sinai Peninsula.
5.New York
Fifty years ago, there were over 500 hotels in the Catskills—a haven where those plagued by the unpleasant side effects of urban living could breathe in the fresh mountain air. Massive resorts grew (the region lays claim to having the first indoor swimming, dubbed a “natatorium”) attracting New York, Boston and Philadelphia’s Jewish and Italian populations, but then air conditioning was invented, airplanes went commercial, and assimilation among immigrant cultures became commonplace—the result? No one felt the need for a Dirty Dancing-esque escape any more.
Flash forward to present day and the area is seeing such a strong comeback it’s starting to feel like a bitty Brooklyn neighborhood copy-pasted 100 miles away. Soho House’s CEO, Nick Jones, has gone on record saying his next Farmhouse will open upstate (closer to the Hudson Valley) and the Dream Hotel Group is busy building two properties meant to garner weekenders from the big smoke—Unscripted Catskills and the Chatwal Lodge. We’re most excited about the early-2020 opening of Kenoza Hall, managed by Sims and Kirsten Foster, the pioneers of the Catskills’ rebranding who run a coterie of inns under the banner of Foster Supply Hospitality. Kenoza will be their most upmarket stay yet, boasting soaring lake views and a dedicated wedding venue.
6. Sardinia
Over 60 million tourists visit Italy each year, and we’re on a quest to find an unturned stone in the country, somewhere off the beaten path. The island of Sardinia may just be the last bastion of un-commodified dolce vita. Start at Su Gologone, which Sabastian Schoellgen, the managing director of Eighty Four Rooms readily endorses as the perfect introduction to the back-country of the isle. “Giovanna, the owner, has transformed the hotel into a world-renowned destination for those in the know,” he notes. “When people think of Sardinia, they think of Costa Smeralda—beaches and nothing more,” adds Agustina Lagos Marmol, the founder of Dolomite Mountains, an operator seeking out the most remote corners of the boot land. For 2020, she’s developed new itineraries that take visitors on custom guided adventure trips along Europe’s last unspoiled coastlines and hills. Italy is never going to go out of style, but a trip here reinvents the wheel.
7. Puerto Rico
On the second day of the year, Fairmont is taking over the legendary El San Juan Hotel on the stunning Isla Verda beach—an auspicious start to 2020—with grand plans of reminding east-coast Americans that the island territory is the perfect long-weekend gateway to escape the cold. Renovations following the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017 have continued apace, with the last wave of re-openings scheduled throughout this coming year. Beyond boisterous San Juan, get excited for the new Four Seasons Cayo Largo in the island’s northeast, and—over on the smaller isle of Vieques—Zafira St. Clair, a high-end timeshare for travelers aiming to be repeat weekenders. And let’s not forget, Puerto Rico’s statehood—which would radically change the island’s rollercoaster economy—is one of the hotly debated issues in the 2020 national elections.
8. Uruguay
Ed Paine of Last Frontiers endorses Uruguay as the perfect South American country for those short on time; “Everything is within reach, from small boutique wineries (the Tannat grape, originally from France, has been adopted as the national grape and has a soft blackberry flavor) to estancias, the ranches responsible for some of the tastiest steaks in the world, all from grass-fed cattle. The sunny capital, Montevideo, is relaxed, peaceful, and rightly famous for its long beaches, art deco architecture, and wonderful restaurants.”
The new Museum of Latin American Art will open around Punta del Este in 2021, but Paine recommends bypassing the party city to stay in José Ignacio—“it’s a quiet fishing village in winter, and in summer, a chic beach resort.” We’re already making plans to check out Sacromonte Landscape House, perhaps the country’s most coveted vineyard stay taking a stark, geometric tack to the traditional hacienda stay. And don't forget Bahia Vik in José Ignacio, which has just completed the addition of a destination spa and several new cabins.
9.Montenegro
When the former Yugoslavia dissolved, each country-state laid claim to their best asset: Croatia morphed into the new Greek Isles with its booming boating scene, Slovenia became the new Switzerland with towering granite peaks, and Bosnia’s Sarajevo wanted to be the newest Berlin with an emerging cafe, bar and creative scene. Montenegro—wild and rugged—was a quiet hinterland in between, with national parks that felt like Europe’s final frontier. While Aman has had a destination property in Sveti Stefan—a small fishing village turned epic luxury retreat—in the country for the past decade, a recent array of new openings from chains like Melia and Iberostar are putting the small Balkan country at the front of many beachgoers’ minds. We’re also waiting for the grand opening of the One&Only that will help anchor the marina at Portonovi as the new hub of the Balkan Riviera. Fun fact: half the square footage of the new One&Only suites will be dedicated to over-the-top bathroom areas.
10.British Virgin Islands
We could make a list of the 20 destinations in the Caribbean worthy of a visit in 2020—places like vine-clad Dominica striking its way back into the tourism sector with a new “hurricane-proof” motto, or Haiti, which has been eclipsed by more recent regional disasters but is still a destination that’s desperately in need of help—but this time, our eye is on the BVIs. A legendary destination for yachties, the quiet archipelago is making a resurgence as its classic ports of call, like the iconic Rosewood Little Dix Bay come back online following a spate of hurricane-related destruction.
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