Whether it’s shopping, Elvis worship or culture shock you’re looking for, be prepared: your bucket list is about to get longer in 2017, writes.
Ben Groundwater
So many destinations, so little time. For most travellers, it’s not a case of if you’ll go next year; it’s not a case of when you’ll go; it’s only a question of: where?
Where do you choose for that dream holiday? Where do you select for that once-in-a-lifetime adventure, that relaxing getaway, that ski trip, that road trip, the culinary tour de force?
Next year, it will be all about great experiences, all about immersing yourself in a destination, living like a local, of ‘‘doing’’ rather than just seeing.
It will be about trekking in Guatemala, and fine-dining in Cape Town; it will be about haggling on the streets of Fes, and taking a siesta in Seville. It will be a year in which travellers rediscover some of their favourite destinations, places such as Canada, Japan and France, while also setting their sights on countries that are relatively new to the tourism world.
Of course, there are no wrong answers when it comes to travel, no bad decisions in choosing a destination. Every country, every city, and every town offers something fascinating and unique. But if you need inspiration for 2017, this is where it begins.
Dubai, UAE Why you should go:
There’s always something new opening in Dubai: it’s this is a city that’s obsessed with having the biggest, the fastest, the highest and the richest of just about everything, so it pays to keep up. But even still, 2016 was a bumper year for new attractions in this booming emirate.
The Dubai Opera, an opera house planned to rival Sydney’s version, opened in August with a concert by Placido Domingo. The US$1 billion indoor theme park, IMG Worlds of Adventure, threw its doors open at around the same time, treating guests to film-and-TV-themed attractions across an area the size of 28 football fields. And now Dubai Parks & Resorts, a mega-theme-park consisting of four interconnected parks – Motiongate, Bollywood Parks, Legoland Dubai, and Legoland Waterpark – has also opened. That should be reason enough for a stopover in 2017, even if you don’t take into account the regular spate of hotel and restaurant openings across the city.
Don’t miss:
You can’t turn down the chance to take a ride to the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. From the observation deck, 555 metres above the ground, the world looks like a kid’s toy. October to May. visitdubai.com.
When to go: More: Brussels, Belgium Why you should go:
Brussels has always been unfairly maligned. It used to be thought of as dull, which was never right. And now, following the March terror attack on its airport, it’s also thought of as dangerous. But even that isn’t true. Brussels is, by and large, a safe place to visit (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s official travel warning is ‘‘exercise a high degree of vigilance in public places’’), as well as being a thriving cultural hub, and a city that could use a little love.
Give the Manneken Pis, depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain’s basin, a miss and instead devote an afternoon to exploring Brussels’ antiques stores, which are filled with bits and pieces from around the world.
April to September. visitbelgium.com.
Don’t miss: When to go: More: Seville, Spain Why you should go:
Part of southern Spain’s tapas-and-siesta belt (a gloriously food- and sleep-obsessed grouping of Andalusian cities that includes Granada, Cadiz and Cordoba), Seville is an absolute pleasure to visit at any time. Its fiendishly winding streets are filled with tapas bars calling out to the lost and hungry, and the Real Alcazar, a royal palace used on Game of Thrones, is worth a visit to the city alone.
Go on a tapas crawl from the touristy old town to the more localfriendly Triana neighbourhood.
Autumn or spring. In 2017, the Feria de Abril, a festival of dancing and drinking, is held from May 2-7.
Don’t miss: When to go:
Kotor still carries with it the feeling of untouched charm, particularly if you avoid the July-August holiday rush. More: visitsevilla.es.
Manchester, Britain Why you should go:
It’s always a surprise to find that the home to two of the world’s most famous football teams, as well as countless of the world’s most famous bands, is a city of only half a million people, a place you can walk around in a day. Manchester is a dream to navigate, a compact place full of classic architecture, museums, live-music venues, cafes, comedy clubs, pubs, and a lot of football fans.
The city comes alive when there’s a Manchester football derby – United vs City. Even if you don’t get tickets, it’s worth being around.
Summers are best. visitbritain.org.
Don’t miss: When to go: More: Adelaide, Australia Why you should go:
Adelaide has been quietly transforming itself over the last decade, morphing from a city of churches and little else into a city of great restaurants, great bars, and world-class events. You only have to