Kyrgyzstan

Would you look at that? Kyrgyzstan didn’t just win this most feet-itching of categories, it scored a perfect 100%. Those of you who visited were utterly blown away. Though we’re hardly surprised – we love Kyrgyzstan, from its rich nomadic culture to its excellent activity potential, from its massive mountains to its appealingly low prices. While Silk Road fave Uzbekistan – top of this list last year – has perhaps made the transition from ‘emerging’ to ‘emerged’, lesser-visited Kyrgyzstan remains the sort of destination you can still brag about around the water-cooler. You’ll find fewer other tourists here, despite Joanna Lumley’s best efforts. It’s the more secret but no less spectacular strand of the Silk Road, if you like.

It’s good to see even more offbeat Tajikistan nudging into the top five too. If you’re the sort who thinks Kyrgyzstan has become overtouristed, then the Pamir-ruptured reaches and remote cultural sites here – Unesco-listed Sarazm, Hissar Fortress, Khulbuk castle – might be for you. In 2018 Tajikistan welcomed around 1.2 million visitors (a massive rise from just 413,000 in 2017) compared to Kyrgyzstan’s 3 million and Uzbekistan’s 6.4 million.

Sadly Iran, which has retained its second place with an even higher satisfaction rating than it scored in 2019, is currently deemed off-limits by the FCO. A huge pity for this most historic and hospitable of countries. Let’s hope the situation changes for the better soon.

Peak performance The old Burana tower on the Silk Road; (left) hunting with eagles is a tradition in Kyrgyzstan