World destinations not to ignore
With most of the planet still in the grips of the pandemic and vaccines a long way off for so many of us, travelling for pleasure could be thought of as at best foolish, at worst, downright risky.
One thing we do know, however, is that this situation is not forever. For some of us, escape could be a matter of weeks away. For others, it could be coming in the middle, or even the end, of the year. But it will come eventually, and freedom to explore will be back in the cards. It is in this spirit that CNN Travel has compiled its list of 21 places to visit in 2021:
Antarctica
With the cancellation of the 2020-2021 Antarctic cruise season, there is a lot of pent-up desire to make our biggest travel dreams come true.
One of the most remote destinations on the planet, Antarctica is not an easy (or affordable) endeavour under the best circumstances. Perhaps the difficulty is part of the allure — the seventh continent remains on the top of many travellers’ wish lists. The striking white desert, with its dramatic, snowy peaks and vibrant turquoise waters, as well its exotic wildlife, including Emperor penguins and Weddell seals, is truly a oncein-a-lifetime experience.
Making the locale even more enticing in 2021 is a December 4 solar eclipse that will darken the continent, creating a major event for Antarctic cruise lines to trumpet.
Canada
Skiing, surfing, hiking, polar-bear spotting and Northern-lights sighting. Eclectic cuisine, world-class shopping, a diverse and rich culture. This is Canada.
The 13 provinces and territories that make up the world’s second-largest country by total area has something swoon-worthy for every type of traveller.
Nature lovers take solace in mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and Atlantic or Pacific coastlines while sophisticated palates nosh at Michelin-starred restaurants and holein-the-wall mainstays alike. Nightlife seekers will find vibrant club scenes in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, though smaller cities Edmonton and Calgary know how to play too. The laid-back visitor has a bevy of chill choices, among them, Tofino, Canada’s original hippie destination; Kelowna, a picturesque lakeside wine country; and St. John’s, one of the country’s friendliest places.
In New Brunswick, the recently opened Fundy Trail Parkway boasts wild views of the Bay of Fundy coast and the world's highest tides.
Venture further north and it just gets wilder. Neither Nunavut nor Northwest Territories are easy to get to, but the rewards of visiting the remote regions — from the indigenous Inuit people's artwork of the former, to the natural wonders (including unparalleled Northern Lights) of the latter — are countless.
Hot hotel openings include the anticipated spring 2021 debut of W Toronto and Halifax’s first five-star hotel, Muir Hotel. The property, set to open in August, will feature cold plunge and hydrotherapy pools with a halotherapy salt room.
Dubai
While vacation planning for 2021 can seem like a wild roll of the dice, a trip to Dubai is a safer bet than most. The glitziest of the United Arab Emirates is currently welcoming almost all global travelers and, with the emirate embracing thorough safety checks and protocols, you can enjoy relative peace of mind while you are there too.
UAE flag carrier Emirates Airlines is offering free global coverage for Covid-19 health expenses and quarantine costs, while the legendary ocean-themed luxury resort Atlantis, The Palm will cover your Covid test and give you resort credit if you stay five nights or more. Its billion-dollar sister hotel, The Royal, is also set to open its doors in 2021.
The long-awaited Expo 2020 Dubai has been rescheduled for October 2021 through March 2022 and the lavish mega-event is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East. Visitors can expect world-class architecture, spectacular displays and a festival of food.
Also expected next year is the opening of the grandly named Museum of the Future, the calligraphy-adorned facade of which is already an impressive new landmark in a city known for its buildings with wow factor.
Egypt
Egypt’s supply of ancient wonders is seemingly limitless, and 2021 may be just the year to show them all off to a world starved for cultural discovery. Many of Egypt’s most celebrated artifacts are finally expected to get a gleaming new home this year at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) close to the site of the Pyramids of Giza.
The museum — a monumental concrete and glass space measuring nearly half a million square meters with a price tag of over US$1 billion — was conceived in 2003 and has been under construction for eight years.
While the opening date has not been set, the long-delayed museum is sure to be a huge draw. A headliner: King Tutankhamun's treasures will all be exhibited together for the first time. A number of sarcophagi from Saqqara — newly discovered in 2020 — will be transferred to the GEM, as will wooden coffins found in Luxor in 2019. No doubt more new discoveries will be added to the lineup — providing a deep dive into 5 000 years of history that can also be traced by trekking across Egypt to the tombs themselves.
France
The bistros, boulangeries, patisseries and fromageries are reason enough to hotfoot it to France when the world starts moving in earnest.
And the rest of the things that drew nearly 90 million visitors to France in 2019 will start coming to life again too: world-class art exhibitions, elegant chateaux, towering cathedrals, medieval villages, glamorous stretches of coast and endless tangles of wine-producing vines.
With any luck, corks will be popping in June at the Bordeaux Wine Festival — the largest in Europe, and hopefully the lineup at Jazz à Juan in Antibes Juan-les-Pins in July will provide a fitting soundtrack to a summer showing signs of a return to communal life. For a regal, live-it-up kind of stay, Le Grand Contrôle — a historic hotel in the heart of the Château de Versailles with an Alain Ducasse restaurant and indoor swimming pool — is set to open to guests in 2021.
Ghana
Its Year of Return initiative in 2019 targeted international visitors of African descent, and Ghana in west Africa is continuing to bank on diaspora tourism with its new campaign Beyond the Return.
Land and sea borders currently remain closed, but now is a good time to acquaint yourself with the country’s hip cultural offerings, from an arts and fashion renaissance to new restaurant and hotel openings.
Adventurers can catch waves at deserted beaches at Cape Three Points, one of West Africa’s best surfing spots, and may spot some humpback whales too. Mole National Park is Ghana’s largest wildlife refuge and is where you can see Nolan warthogs and spotted hyenas and get close to ambling elephants. Capital city Accra has little in the way of major attractions, but remains charming and lively. — CNN Travel staff