Switch up your adventure
Undertouristed places offer travellers so much more
What better time than the dawn of a new decade to revise your list of destinations to visit before you die, and set some priorities?
New Zealanders have never let Aotearoa’s remoteness on the globe prevent us from exploring it, but with new direct flights to the likes of New York, Vancouver and Seoul, and healthy competition among airlines, it’s becoming easier and more affordable than ever.
House of Travel South Pacific product manager Natalie Von Dincklage says Kiwis ‘‘literally can’t get enough of the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, and islands in the South Pacific’’, but we’re intrepid enough to take a chance on more unconventional destinations, too.
With sustainable travel and so-called overtourism of growing concern to travellers globally, many of us are also seeking out destinations which, unlike our own fair isles at this time of year, aren’t all over a billion travellers’ Instagram feeds.
We’ve asked our mates at travel agencies, booking sites, and tour companies to help us compile a list of destinations Kiwis should seriously consider visiting this year and beyond.
Adelaide, Australia
Kiwi travellers’ love for Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland endures, but an increasing number of us are seeking a sea change in the South Australian capital.
‘‘Adelaide has seen an increase in demand of up to 190 per cent compared to the previous year,’’ Expedia travel expert Justine Yusi says.
‘‘Bursting with culture, entertainment, and a second-to-none food and wine scene, Adelaide is gradually being recognised as a go-to destination within Australia.’’
Once widely thought of as sleepy and oldfashioned, it has gained so much street cred in recent years, you could call it a mini Melbourne.
Like the Victorian capital, it’s lined with side streets and laneways that don’t seem to stop spawning character-full cafes, restaurants and bars. Its arts and festival scenes have become the stuff of international legend. Visit in February to check out the Adelaide Festival or WOMADelaide, or in March for Adelaide Fringe, celebrating its 60th birthday next year. After a day – or a few – of eating, shopping and checking out the city’s galleries and museums, chill out on the ocean beaches of Clengel or Semaphore (both replete with retro seaside charm), or drink your way around the wineries of the Adelaide Hills or Barossa Valley.
Cebu, Philippines
With its plentiful white sand beaches, spectacular diving and mountainous interior home to rare Furby-like tarsiers, Cebu is quickly becoming one of the Philippines’ most popular islands.
Yusi says it’s an ideal choice for an affordable luxury break, offering ‘‘a great range of experiences, including beautiful diving spots, breathtaking waterfalls and authentic local food’’ at bargain prices.
The offshore islands are home to many of the best beaches, while Nalusuan, which sits within a marine sanctuary, and Malapascua, a popular thresher shark hangout, are favourites with scuba divers. Hikers are spoilt for choice on the main island: tackle the three-hour trek to Mt Babag for the best chance of spotting the bug-eyed tarsier.
New York, United States
The insomniac city is about to get easier for Kiwis to access, with Air New Zealand launching direct flights in October.
It’s Flight Centre NZ’s pick of destinations to visit, and managing director David Coombes predicts we’ll happily endure the more than 16-hour flight if it means getting to visit the locations we grew up seeing on screen in real life.
Shape-shifting Manhattan is a must-visit for first-time and repeat visitors, featuring blockbuster attractions such as the Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Central Park, and megagalleries such the the Met, Moma and Guggenheim, with food and nightlife scenes which, while constantly in flux, are consistently fabulous.
Take advantage of the city’s expanded ferry service to explore up-and-coming neighbourhoods across the five boroughs, from Astoria in Queens – often described as the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world, to Red Hook in Brooklyn.
Don’t pre-plan every New York minute though.
Leave time to wander. For a change of perspective, hit the The High Line, a landscaped walkway built on an elevated abandoned rail corridor.
When you reach the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, take the lift to the swanky, if unimaginatively named, The Top of the Standard, order a Manhattan, and summon your inner Carrie Bradshaw or Don Draper as you take in panoramic views of the borough that gave the cocktail its name. Stick around until after 10pm, when it becomes members only, and you might just spot Sarah Jessica Parker or Jon Hamm for real.
Sri Lanka
One of the most-hyped destinations of last year, until the Easter attacks saw its arrival numbers plummet to 2009 levels, Sri Lanka looks set to make a comeback on the tourism front this year.
‘‘New Zealanders love this beautiful country and will begin to flock back this year,’’ Exodus Travels Australasia territory manager Louisa Day, says. The teardrop-shaped island nation’s Indian Ocean-lapped beaches, eight Unesco World Heritage Sites, ancient cities of Anuradhapura, Kandy and Polonnaruwa, diverse wildlife, verdant jungle, tea plantations and rice paddies, and a railway journey widely considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful, are just some of the attractions sure to lure travellers back before long.
‘‘It’s the place to go for adventurous travellers wanting a unique, untouched escape,’’ says Coombes.
The Silk Road, Central Asia
The ‘‘five ’Stans’’ (the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) have grown significantly in popularity over the past two years, Day says.
The fabled Silk Road traverses an extraordinary variety of landscapes, from deserts with oasis caravan stops and steppe settlements, to snowcapped mountain ranges that are home to nomadic, yurt-dwelling herding communities.
Along the way, you’ll find ancient villages and sophisticated cities, home to dazzlingly decorated mosques and bazaars likely to tempt even those who don’t normally have much time for shopping.
Exploring the ancient trade network connecting
the Far East and Europe is time travel of a sort, with Chinese emperors, Parthian kings, Alexander the Great, Chinggis (Genghis) Khan, and Greek and Persian armies all having left their mark on it.
Rijeka, Croatia
Game of Thrones has turned Croatia into a bona fide international star, and Kiwis are as starstruck as other travellers. The Adriatic seaside nation was one of the fastest-growing European destinations with House of Travel customers last year, customer engagement director Celeste Ryall says, along with Greece, Portugal and Hungary.
Thrones locations such as Dubrovnik, Split and Lokrum Island are frequently inundated with tourists, but Rijeka – offering the same goldenhued Renaissance- and Baroque-style buildings and beaches – has somehow remained relatively under the radar.
Assuming the mantle of European Capital of Culture this year, it’s well on its way to becoming another tourism darling, but it’s worth braving the crowds to be able to take in some of the more than 1000 musical performances, art exhibitions, parties, and other events, set to take place to mark the occasion.
Seoul, South Korea
Another destination set to see an influx of Kiwi visitors thanks to new direct flights with the national carrier, Seoul ‘‘will no doubt be the new hot spot, giving Tokyo a run for its money’’, Coombes says.
‘‘Fans of K-pop won’t be disappointed, but there is so much more to see of this vibrant city with delicious dining and next-level nightlife’’.
Embracing tradition, and technology, it’s a city of contrasts, with Buddhist temples and World Heritage-listed sites such as the Changdeokgung Palace Complex and Jogymo shrine sharing postcodes with stylish boutiques and bars, and cutting-edge contemporary buildings.
Don’t miss the ruins of ancient residences uncovered in the financial district; tea shop hopping in Insa-dong; wildlife spotting in Seoul Forest, the Korean Demilitarised Zone; and (if you’re feeling fit) the Buddhist temple- and statueheavy hike up Bukhansan mountain.
Salta, Argentina
House of Travel predicts direct flights to South America to become more popular, with Ryall citing Ushuaia, the departure point for many cruises to Antarctica, and Machu Picchu in Peru, as likely destinations for many.
The colonial city of Salta in the Argentinian Andes emerged as one of the most wished-for destinations to visit in a recent booking.com poll of 22,000 travellers around the globe. With a much more agreeable climate than Patagonia, the province of Salta, which shares its name with the capital, is largely mild and dry year-round. Outside the capital, with its colourful Spanish colonial buildings, you’ll find multi-hued mountains, salt flats, high volcanic deserts, tropical jungles, ancient Incan pathways, the world’s highest archaeological site, and vineyards and villages home to indigenous Andeans.
‘‘[Salta] is a great ‘best of both worlds’ destination for the one-in-five (19 per cent) of global travellers who want to visit Argentina in 2020,’’ the travel booking site states.
Armenia
It’s a favourite with Kim Kardashian West, who recently had her children baptised in the country, but this tiny Caucasus nation gets far fewer visitors than one would expect for a country with such a fascinating (albeit tragic) history. The ‘‘pink city’’ of Yerevan, so-nicknamed for its Soviet buildings of salmon-hued stone, is bound to enchant, as are Dilijan National Park, home to bears, lynx and wolves; swimmable Lake Sevan; and the photogenic monasteries that dot the countryside.
‘‘Yerevan’s past and spectacular architecture makes it a must-experience destination,’’ states booking.com in its reader poll. Must-visit sites include Republic Square, The Cascade (a monumental Soviet stairway featuring fountains, sculptures and a tranquil garden courtyard), the Roman temple of Garni and Etchmiadzin.