#1 Canada
Canada is huge — the world’s second-largest country by area. It’s also a world unto itself, with cosmopolitan cities, barely explored natural wonders and everything in between. And this is the year to visit: In honour of the 150th anniversary of its confederation, when the original colonies came together as one country, Canada is rolling out the welcome mat. All of Canada’s national parks and historic sites are offering free admission through the year, from the turquoise lakes and mountain peaks of Banff in Alberta to the rolling dunes and red sandstone cliffs of Prince Edward Island along the Atlantic Coast, to the newest reserve, the glacial-rounded Mealy Mountains in Labrador. Meanwhile, in the capital, Ottawa, a full year of celebration is planned; more events will be on offer in Montreal, which celebrates its 375th anniversary this year.
#2 Agra, India
Navigating the stunning Taj Mahal will get easier when an orientation center opens this year. 2017 also promises new reasons to venture beyond: Nearby streets have been repaved and the Agra Pavilion, a glass-walled dining complex, will host more than a dozen vendors and restaurants. The Mughal Museum, a collaboration with the architect David Chipperfield and Studio Archohm, has broken ground and, in addition, India’s fastest train and longest expressway now cut travel time from Delhi and Lucknow.
#3 Zermatt, Switzerland
Zermatt, neighbour to the legendary Matterhorn, has been luring active travellers since 1898, when the Gornergrat train — Switzerland’s first electric cog rail — began operating. In time for the rail’s 200th anniversary, the five-star Riffelalp Resort, on the edge of a 7,290 foot plateau facing the Matterhorn, reopened in December with updated rooms and ski-in and ski-out access. Higher up, at Riffelberg, a permanent open-air theatre will open this summer with performances of “Romeo and Juliet”.
#4 Botswana
If you’ve watched any African wildlife documentary in the last 30 years, the chances are that the filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert had a hand in it. This spring the Jouberts, National Geographic explorers in residence, along with the company Great Plains Conservation, will open Duba Plains Camp, a luxury tented camp in a private 77,000-acre portion of the Okavango Delta that’s resplendent with lions, elephants and species specific to northern Botswana like the red lechwe. Expect safaris on boats with built-in camera mounts (when water levels allow) and a chance to see the descendants of Ma di Tau, the star of “The Last Lions.”
#5 Dubrovnik, Croatia
With its limestone-paved streets and 80-foot-high walls surrounding Old Town, this star of the Dalmatian Coast has long been able to rest on its aesthetic laurels — you might recognize it as King’s Landing in “Game of Thrones.” In recent years, though, it has been adding to the lustre. This summer, the city is starting an electric-scooter sharing program, allowing for locals and visitors to zip up and down the coast to more private beaches. The four-star beachside Hotel Kompas is a comfy addition to the scene and the long-awaited renovation of the grande dame Hotel Excelsior will be finished in June. The new restaurant Portrait is serving elevated takes on Dalmatian fare in Old Town.
#6 Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
On Aug. 21, the continental United States will experience a total solar eclipse for the first time in 38 years. The eclipse will cut a diagonal swath across America, but city lights and overcast skies can be obstacles to prime viewing. A good bet is Grand Teton in Wyoming, which will get a generous two minutes and 20 seconds of darkness. If you miss the eclipse, you’ll still be surrounded by the jagged peaks, mountain lakes and wildlife of a pristine national park in its summer glory.
#7 Tijuana, Mexico
Though still rough around the edges, this fast-growing border town is on the rise, with a luxury condo boom and a new $60 million bus rapid transit system. Tijuana is also having a culinary renaissance, fueled by craft breweries, stylish coffee shops and globally informed restaurants that range from Telefónica Gastro Park’s hipster food trucks to bustling Baja Med spots like La Querencía in the riverside Zona Río neighborhood.
#8 Hamburg, Germany
Zaha Hadid’s meandering promenade along the Elbe recently breathed new life into the riverfront and the nearby 19th-century Warehouse District, which made the Unesco World Heritage list in 2015. Adding to the sheen, the much-anticipated Herzog & de Meuron-designed Elbphilharmonie is scheduled to open this month. The 360-foot-tall glass structure sits atop an old warehouse, its spiky roof evoking sails and the city’s maritime past. If all that architecture gets too much, the uber-luxurious Fontenay will open later this year, the first five-star hotel in this northern German city for 18 years.
#9 Marrakesh, Morocco
A new museum dedicated to the work of the fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent will debut this autumn in Marrakesh, showcasing thousands of sketches, couture garments and accessories. The 43,000-square-foot structure sits adjacent to the Jardin Majorelle, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary as a public garden in 2017. The much-visited attraction also houses a museum dedicated to Berber culture and the designer’s private residence, Villa Oasis.
#10 Penzance, UK
Penzance, the Cornish port town in southwest England, is experiencing a resurgence of interest, thanks to the popularity of “Poldark,” the BBC costume drama set in 18th-century Cornwall. The new Chapel House B&B joins a local favourite, the Artists Residence, while restaurants such as the Tolcarne Inn, in nearby Newlyn, and the Shore have put Penzance on the map as a culinary destination. Perhaps the best thing to see in Penzance — aside from the scenery — is the Art Deco-inspired Jubilee pool, one of Europe’s last saltwater lidos. The enormous triangular public pool was built in the 1930s and has just received a £3m renovation.