Japan tops travel awards

Travel magazine readers vote for disaster-hit countries to visit: Japan, New Zealand, Burma top list

Countries recently hit by earthquakes, tsunamis and political unrest were the winners in this year’s travel awards, voted for by the readers of Wanderlust magazine, a bible for independently minded travelers.

Japan came out as number one in the Top Country category this year with a satisfaction rating of 97%, with travellers undeterred by last year’s devastating tsunami. New Zealand, hit by earthquakes in 2011 came in third place, while Burma, ruled by military junta, came fourth.

Cambodia and Rwanda, only now emerging from genocidal pasts, also featured in the top 10. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, known for its policy of ‘gross national happiness’, came in second, bringing some tranquility to the list.

"If done responsibly, visiting countries after a disaster can be hugely beneficial for them. I really hope these results are indicative of support these areas will receive from travellers as they get back on their feet,’ commented Lyn Hughes, editor in chief at Wanderlust.

A total of 183 countries were nominated by almost 3000 readers who voted. The Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and Chad all received nominations in the Top Country category showing just how widely travelled the Wanderlust readers are.

The deserts of Sudan, icy wastes of Greenland and barren steppes of Mongolia may seem unlikely holiday destinations, but they soon could be according the results in the Emerging Destination category. Adventure tour operators are already adding these countries to their programmes.

Lyn Hughes continued:  "The travel map is rapidly changing and our readers are certainly ahead of the crowd voting for some really unlikely destinations in the ‘emerging’ category. I totally agree with Sudan at top place in this category. I was lucky enough to discover this first hand last year and experience its warm welcome, layers of history and few tourists. With more pyramids than Egypt it is a one to watch for the future especially as South Sudan opens up too."

A new category added to the awards this year was Top UK City and in the year in which the Olympics come to the capital, it seems fitting that the top spot went to London with almost three times the amount of votes than Edinburgh in second place and Bath in third.

However despite London’s triumph in the UK category it could do little to affect Luang Prabang’s (Laos) winning streak as it retained the top spot in the Top City category for another year (97% rating), closely followed by Japan’s cultural centre, Kyoto.

Over 1000 cities were nominated and four of the top five cities were in Asia, while out of five European cities in the top ten, Siena ranked the highest. Colombia’s stunning Cartagena was the only city outside Europe or Asia to rank in the top ten, coming in at seventh place.

In line with Bhutan’s rise to second in the Top Country category, the country’s tiny airport at Paro ranked a surprise joint first alongside Singapore’s Changi Airport – the winner of the Top Airport for the last 10 years.

Valere Tjolle
Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2012 Special Offers HERE