A kingdom that has pledged to become completely organic by next year, and the city that will toast the centenary anniversary of the world’s most important classical music festival, are among the top destinations to visit in 2020, as chosen by the tastemakers of travel guide Lonely Planet.
New for this year’s edition of LP’s annual “Best in Travel” list, sustainability was top of mind when choosing the top destinations to visit, to ensure that “travelers will have a positive impact wherever they choose to go.”
In the category of best country, for instance, the kingdom of Bhutan took top honors for its pledge to grow only organic products by 2020.
Rounding out the podium is England and North Macedonia.
In 2020, Salzburg, Austria is poised to become the classical music capital of the world, as the city fetes the 100th anniversary of its famous Salzburg Festival, the largest and most important event on the classical music calendar.
After Salzburg, Washington DC and Cairo, Egypt round out the top three spots.
To compile their top 10 lists, which also include top regions and top best value destinations, Lonely Planet starts with nominations from their contributors, which are then whittled down by their in-house experts. Destinations are chosen for topicality, unique experiences and “wow” factor.
Here are the top places to visit in 2020, according to Lonely Planet:
Cities: 1. Salzburg, Austria 2. Washington DC, United States 3. Cairo, Egypt 4. Galway, Ireland 5. Bonn, Germany 6. La Paz, Bolivia 7. Kochi, India 8. Vancouver, Canada 9. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 10. Denver, Colorado
Countries: 1. Bhutan 2. England 3. Northern Macedonia 4. Aruba 5. eSwatini 6. Costa Rica 7. Netherlands 8. Liberia 9. Morocco 10. Uruguay IB/JB
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