#11 Osaka, Japan
If Kyoto represents Japan’s spirit and Tokyo its heart, Osaka is the country’s insatiable appetite. The city’s culinary legacy is alive and at work in the neighborhoods of Tsuruhashi and Fukushima, and in the 91 Michelin-starred restaurants spread throughout the city - like Ajikitcho, specializing in traditional Japanese cooking, and Taian, with a chargrill focus. On April 28, it will all be united at the International Festival Utage (“feast”), a 10-day food festival, celebrating flavours from Japan’s 47 prefectures.
#12 Stockholm, Sweden
Free state-owned museums will make visits to Sweden’s capital less expensive in 2017. Over a dozen dropped their hefty entry fees last year, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Natural History, the Swedish History Museum and Skokloster Castle. Add to that a favourable exchange rate - the krona is about 20 percent weaker against sterling than it was two years ago - and this beautiful city suddenly looks even more attractive.
#13 Sikkim, India
With its first airport opening this year and its first rail link in progress, the remote north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim gets ever closer. The adventurous amongst you can trek Khangchendzonga National Park, a Himalayan haven of forests, valleys and mountains - including the world’s third-highest peak - that earned Unesco World Heritage status this year. Spiritual seekers, meanwhile, can pursue nirvana around the historically Buddhist land, from centuries-old monasteries like Tashiding and Pemayangtse to the museum-like Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. Don’t forget to load up on spices, fruits and vegetables as Sikkim became the first fully organic state in India last year.
#14 Île de Porquerolles, France
This four-mile-long little-known Mediterranean island is only 10 minutes by ferry from the mainland. Yet it’s an unexplored refuge with mountain-biking trails, sandy beaches and a single rustic vineyard offering free daily wine tastings. Mostly national parkland, the car-free island has one idyllic village where you’ll hear the clinking of both pétanque boules and glasses of pastis. The place to stay is Le Mas du Langoustier, an upscale hotel perched between two coves on the western end of the island.
#15 Madagascar
Since its elections in 2013, Madagascar has stabilised and is luring tourists back to its stunning combination of jungles, beaches and reefs. Lemurs and chameleons are just the headline attractions in this island nation the size of France, which lies off the east coast of Africa. Whale sharks and humpbacks cruise the undersea world, fat-trunked baobab trees dot the land, and more than 90 percent of the island’s mammals are not found anywhere else. Eco-friendly lodging options include luxurious island retreats like the new Miavana and rain forest camps like Masoala Forest Lodge.
#16 Sanya, China
With its stunning white sand beaches and shimmering blue waters, Sanya on Hainan Island, China’s southernmost province, is known as the Hawaii of China. The destination is in the midst of a resort boom, and these eye-catching properties are reason enough to visit. There are already Park Hyatt, St. Regis and Shangri-La hotels in place and, late last year, the luxe Edition - a 500-room resort with a long list of amenities - made its debut. Next up, in March, is the One & Only Sanya, set amid 28 acres of coconut palms.
#17 Cyprus
The 2017 European Capital of Culture, Paphos has prepared a slew of celebratory events. Furthermore, the entire island boasts renewed attractions, especially in Nicosia, where the A.G. Leventis Gallery opened its collection of over 800 artworks in 2014. The renovated Altius Boutique Hotel and trendy hot spots like Cook Shop, To Elliniko Ouzomezedopoleio and the Pivo Microbrewery offer new lodgings, food and drinks in the capital.
#18 Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Increased sea temperatures, caused by climate change, El Niño and other factors, have caused extensive coral bleaching, mostly in the northern sections of Australia’s 1,430-mile long Great Barrier Reef. It’s the world’s largest living organism - a mosaic of some 2,900 coral reefs and 900 islands - but it faces serious threats. Fortunately, conservation efforts are bearing fruit, and, as a visitor, you can play a role in saving the reef. A turtle rehabilitation center on Fitzroy Island welcomes volunteers, as does the Lizard Island Research Station and a host of other citizen science groups. New or recently refurbished resorts on Hayman, Orpheus, Pumpkin and Lizard Islands offer idyllic places to explore this fragile, extraordinary natural wonder.
#19 Minneapolis, Minnesota
The City of Lakes has a lot going on this year: the new U.S. Bank Stadium is hosting the X Games in July; and, in June, the Walker Art Center will open its popular sculpture garden after an extensive renovation. On a more melancholy note, you may be gathered in Minneapolis to celebrate the life of one of its most famous sons: Prince. Since his untimely death in April, fans of the pop genius can paint the town purple: Take a tour of First Avenue, the club featured in the 1984 classic film “Purple Rain,” or go on a citywide Prince-themed tour with Waconiaville Tours. Most exciting, Paisley Park, Prince’s private domain for two decades, about 20 miles outside of town, has opened for public tours, allowing fans a look behind the purple veil.
#20 Kingston, Jamaica
Jamaica’s capital furthers its case as a cultural destination, rather than just a stopover to the beach. The Courtyard by Marriott is the city’s first new hotel in over a decade. Alternatively, the SoHo-style Spanish Court Hotel, which has added a second pool, will open its Montego Bay branch in the summer. You can eat like an Olympic legend at Usain Bolt’s restaurant Tracks & Records, or get all things jerk at the latest hot spot Chateau 7 Gourmet Jerk Centre. Take in old-school reggae at the One World Ska and Rocksteady Music Festival, launched this November; at the newly opened Peter Tosh Museum, honoring the former Wailer; or at one of the dub music parties debuting around the city. Then. if you’re wanting the beach, hop on the freshly completed North-South Highway and arrive in Ocho Rios in under two hours.