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SINGAPORE, Jan. 26, 2020 — Today, Tripadvisor® , the world’s largest travel platform, released its annual Travellers’ Choice® Best of the Best Awards for Destinations, highlighting Popular, Trending, and Emerging Destinations around the world, as well as a new category for 2021: National Parks. The awards are based on the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings for accommodations, restaurants, and things to do in destinations worldwide on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period.
The awards reveal where travellers ventured in 2020, while travel was still open, as well as where they dreamed of going while the pandemic kept them stuck at home. With travel restrictions in place for much of the year, travellers explored the world very differently — they took more local trips closer to home and favored outdoor spots, away from crowded cities. According to a recent survey of Tripadvisor travellers, more than half (52%) say they are more likely to take an outdoor or nature trip than they were before the pandemic1 . As a result, many of the Asia-Pacific destinations featured on the Travellers’ Choice Trending Destinations for 2021 were outdoor destinations. Sanya, China, known for its picturesque beach resorts is ranked number four on the global Trending Destinations for 2021 while Queenstown, New Zealand has made the list at number six. On the global stage, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, is the number one Trending Destination, seeing the biggest spike in top reviews and ratings last year.
While COVID-19 kept travellers from exploring too far from home for the large part of last year, that didn’t stop them from raving about the trips they did manage to get in. Topping the world’s Travellers’ Choice Popular Destinations list — the iconic, can’t-miss destinations are always at the top of travellers’ wish lists — is Bali, Indonesia, rising from number four last year to dethrone London. Singapore is ranked number 14 on the Asia list of Travellers’ Choice Popular Destinations.
“Alongside the latest vaccine developments, pent-up demand is prompting the world to think more about travel in 2021,” said Christine Maguire, vice president and general manager, global media business at Tripadvisor. “But one result of the pandemic may be the destinations they’re interested in. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 74% of travellers will spend more time selecting a destination when planning their next trip2 . If you’re like me and already imagining your first post-vaccine vacation, this list of travellers' favorite destinations can serve as your inspiration.”
Top 10 Popular Destinations in the World
Popular Destinations include the locations that travellers raved about most on Tripadvisor in the past year, comprising iconic world cities.
Bali, Indonesia
London, United Kingdom
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Rome, Italy
Paris, France
Hanoi, Vietnam
Crete, Greece
Bangkok, Thailand
Barcelona, Spain
Istanbul, Turkey
Check out the full list of Popular Destinations including the Asia list here: www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations.
Top 10 Trending Destinations in the World
Trending Destinations recognize destinations that saw the biggest increase in a combination of positive ratings and reviews over the last year.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Corsica, France
Doha, Qatar
Sanya, China
Gatlinburg, Tenn., United States
Queenstown, New Zealand
Tulum, Mexico
Natal, Brazil
Kas, Turkey
Guadeloupe, Carribean
Check out the full list of the world’s top Trending Destinations here:
www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-TrendingDestinations
Top 10 Emerging Destinations in the World
Emerging Destinations showcase the spots with the greatest year-over-year increase in “saves” on Tripadvisor around the world. Different from the other categories, which highlight where travellers have already visited, the Emerging list identifies where they want to visit. These are the destinations travellers were dreaming of while they were stuck at home all year — and where they may go next.
Martinique, Carribean
Panama City Beach, Fla., United States
Armacao dos Buzios, Brazil
Holbox Island, Mexico
St Ives, United Kingdom
Mazatlan, Mexico
Colorado Springs, Colo., United States
Shoalhaven, Australia
Wroclaw, Poland
Mudgee, Australia
Check out the full list of top Emerging Destinations in the world here:
www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-EmergingDestinations
Top 10 National Parks in the World
When indoor activities shuttered in 2020, travellers headed to the great outdoors. Here are their favorite National Parks around the world.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Jim Corbett National Park, India
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., United States
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., United States
Zion National Park, Utah, United States
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Check out the full list of the top National Parks in the world here:
www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-NationalParks
Methodology
The Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards for Destinations honor travellers’ favorite destinations worldwide based on the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings from Tripadvisor travellers for accommodations, restaurants, and things to do in destinations worldwide over a 12-month period (December 1, 2019 through November 30, 2020).
● The Popular Destinations category honors the locations that are the most popular among Tripadvisor reviewers. The methodology takes into account quality and volume of reviews to surface destinations that consistently deliver the best overall experience for travellers.
● The Trending Destinations category honors the locations that showed the greatest year-over-year increase in a combination of positive traveller reviews and ratings for accommodations, restaurants, and things to do on Tripadvisor.
● The Emerging Destinations category honors the locations that showed the greatest year-over-year increase in “saves” for accommodations, restaurants and things to do on Tripadvisor. Travellers can "save" their travel ideas and plans on Tripadvisor by tapping the heart
icon on places to stay, restaurants, and things to do. Saves is a great indicator of what travellers
are interested in doing in the future, as opposed to what they have done or are booking now. ● The National Parks category honors the scenic and historically significant parks that are the
most popular among Tripadvisor reviewers, according to traveller reviews and ratings for accommodations, restaurants, and things to do.
Note to Editor
Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of up to 2,400 consumers per survey, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted approximately every two weeks from 3/27/20 through 10/21/20 across six countries - U.S., UK, Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan.
Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of 2,330 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between 12/28/20 through 1/10/21 across six countries - U.S., UK, Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan.
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