NEW YORK — If your clients are fresh out of ideas on where to travel to in 2017, Frommer’s – which will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year – has revealed its annual list of the best places to travel.
A team of award-winning editors and writers around the world has compiled an honour roll list of top vacation places. Whether these destinations are enjoying a resurgence, honouring a milestone or anniversary, or simply because the moment is ripe for wider appreciation, they’re all primed and ready for travellers to visit in 2017.
The 17 honourees are (in no particular order):
• Montréal, Quebec, for the confluence of celebrations surrounding its 375th birthday and the 150th anniversary of Canada
• Karasjok, Norway, the best place in the world for Northern Lights during a peak year for that phenomenon
• Bermuda, amidst a boom in development of its luxury tourism amenities and expecting the America’s Cup in May and June
• The Pantanal, South America’s massive and wondrous inland tropical wetlands
• The Mississippi River, long called “the Spine of America,” bursting with a fast-growing cruise industry
• Paris, France, because its tourism has dropped in the past year, but it remains as magical as ever
• Sulawesi, Indonesia, an under-appreciated island of tiny monkeys, vibrantly colored birds, and astonishing cultural rituals
• San Francisco and the Bay Area, which marks the 50th anniversary of the famous Summer of Love with a bounty of events
• Fátima, Portugal, commemorating the centenary of its miracle and vibrant with history, architecture and beaches
• Nashville, Tennessee, for its food, whip-smart population, music, and ideal location for viewing the August 21 solar eclipse
• The Panama Canal, newly expanded with a more-than-$5 billion set of locks
• Nan Madol, Micronesia, because its ancient black basalt temples and palaces are in danger of imminent destruction by natural forces
• Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, the only region where you can see mountain gorillas in the wild, and where tourism is transforming life
• Martin Luther’s Germany which will spend the year mounting concerts and events for the 500th anniversary of the reformer’s world-changing deed
• Katahdin Woods and Waters, Maine, 87,000 pristine acres of forests and streams just inscribed as a National Monument
• Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, a recent holiday spot for Prince William and Kate, for its unique wilderness and centuries old cultural links
• Doha, Qatar, which is challenging its flashier neighbors Dubai and Abu Dhabi with new attractions, flights, and hotels
There is one bonus destination that Frommer’s felt compelled to include – Cuba. Frommer’s is not confident Cuba will remain an option for Americans. Donald J. Trump is threatening to restrict Americans’ right to travel there, hotel rates are ballooning, flights are being cut, and the death of Fidel Castro raises new uncertainties. For those reasons, Frommer’s inscribed it—with hope that travel remains open and growing—as its 18th top destination.
