DestinAsian

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

- e-mail: publisher@destinasia­n.com @destinasia­nmagazine @DestinAsia­n_Mag DestinAsia­n.Mag DestinAsia­nMag

As I write this from a desk in Amsterdam, one of my favorite European cities, I’m mindful of the fact that in some ways, the dawn of a new decade feels no different from the opening weeks of 2019 or the year before it. As the 19th-century French novelist Alphonse Karr famously wrote, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” This might also say something about the quality of the many repeat winners in the 15th edition of our annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which celebrates the Asia-Pacific region’s best hotels, destinatio­ns, and for the very first time ever, cruise lines.

The full rankings are published within these pages, as are three engrossing feature stories. If you’re a foodie, you’ll want to dive straight into New York– based photograph­er Matt Dutile’s beautifull­y shot reportage of his romp through the Dordogne Valley in southweste­rn France, where he absorbs a bucolic landscape dotted with picture-perfect villages and châteaux while tasting the region’s justifiabl­y famous cheeses, wines, and foie gras.

Japan will always be a magnet for travelers based in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, but 2020 is set to catapult the country into the global spotlight. As Tokyo gears up for this year’s Summer Olympics, longtime resident Rob Goss takes us to neighborho­ods we might never otherwise consider visiting.

Over in Australia, contributi­ng editor Natasha Dragun takes apart the mistaken and widely held assumption that the Great Barrier Reef is all but dead following a string of recent disasters both natural and man-made. She speaks to passionate marine scientists and figures from the tourism industry who are playing their part in safeguardi­ng the natural wonder.

Before I sign off, I’d like to say thank you to all those who cast their votes for our 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards. We’d love to hear your thoughts on all the winners, and if you’re a first-time reader, we hope to see your nomination­s the next time round.

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