AUSTRALIA, 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 South Pacific destinations featured on the Travellers’ Choice Emerging Destinations for 2021 were outdoor destinations. ​Shoalhaven​, known for being a nature and adventure lovers paradise, is ranked number eight on the global Emerging Destinations for 2021 while ​Mudgee ​has made the list at number ten. In the inaugural National Parks 2021 list, Australia’s own ​Freycinet National Park​ is ranked number 18 on the global list.

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.

“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 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.

1. Martinique, Carribean

2. Panama City Beach, Fla., United States

3. Armacao dos Buzios, Brazil

4. Holbox Island, Mexico

5. St Ives, United Kingdom

6. Mazatlan, Mexico

7. Colorado Springs, Colo., United States

8. Shoalhaven, Australia

9. Wroclaw, Poland

10. Mudgee, Australia

Check out the full list of top Emerging Destinations in the world here:

www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-EmergingDestinations

Top 20 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.

1. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

2. Jim Corbett National Park, India

3. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

4. Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., United States

5. Kruger National Park, South Africa

6. Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

7. Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., United States

8. Zion National Park, Utah, United States

9. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

10. Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

11. Yorkshire Dales National Park, United Kingdom

12. Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania

13. Bandhavgarh National Park, India

14. Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

15. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam

16. Denali National Park and Preserve, Alas., United States

17. Vatnajokull National Park, Iceland

18. Freycinet National Park, Australia

19. Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

20. Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., United States

Check out the full list of the top National Parks in the world here:

www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-NationalParks

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.

1. Bali, Indonesia

2. London, United Kingdom

3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4. Rome, Italy

5. Paris, France

6. Hanoi, Vietnam

7. Crete, Greece

8. Bangkok, Thailand

9. Barcelona, Spain

10. 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.

1. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2. Corsica, France

3. Doha, Qatar

4. Sanya, China

5. Gatlinburg, Tenn., United States

6. Queenstown, New Zealand

7. Tulum, Mexico

8. Natal, Brazil

9. Kas, Turkey

10. Guadeloupe, Carribean

Check out the full list of the world’s top Trending Destinations here:

www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-TrendingDestinations

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

1. 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.

2. 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.