Looks like Down Under is the place to be.
Travel + Leisure has named Australia as the 2020 Destination of the Year. Selected annually by T+L editors, the Travel + Leisure Destination of the Year is the place they believe best captures the travel zeitgeist of the moment, thanks to a rare combination of exciting new offerings, cultural relevance, and singular experiences, combined with an energy and timeliness that compels the idea “visit now,” according to a T+ L news release.
Not the first time, but the fifth year Travel + Leisure has named a Destination of the Year, with past winners including Japan and Portugal.
Travel + Leisure Editor in Chief Jacqui Gifford said in the news release: “I am thrilled to name Australia the Destination of the Year, as we look ahead to 2020. Why Australia? And why now? It’s always been considered a ‘bucket list’ spot, a place that people would reserve for a once-in-a-lifetime trip when they had a longer window of time to travel. Well, in today’s 24/7-connected world, we want you to switch off and take that time. If the thrill of travel is to be pushed, mentally and physically, to discover something new—and to appreciate the simple, awe-inspiring beauty of this earth—Australia and its seven states deliver and then some. And now that there is expanded airlift across the globe, the destination has become more accessible than ever before …”
Australia has also added new hotels and experiences in less-frequented areas, opening up more parts of the country for exploration.
For example, Mount Mulligan brings a new luxury lodge to the Queensland outback, while Wukalina Walk in Tasmania immerses travelers in aboriginal culture and history along the state’s Bay of Fires. The country’s imporessive culinary scene continues to thrive with a new generation of chefs and winemakers.
Australia offers a wide variety of experiences to suit everyone whether it’s an art installation by the world-famous Bruce Munro in the capital of Darwin, the thriving cultural institutions of Melbourne, or gorgeous natural landscapes along Western Australia’s rugged Coral Coast.
According to T+L editors in the release: “While some things have remained constant in the land Down Under—the exuberant hospitality, the otherworldly scenery—there’s now a fresh energy spreading across the country.”
To check out T+L’s guide to Australia now, visit www.travelandleisure.com/destination-of-the-year. Australia is also the cover story of the December issue of Travel + Leisure, on newsstands Nov. 22.
Source: Meredith Corp.
