Each autumn the tourism officials of the world hold their collective breath as Lonely Planet announce their hand picked Top Destinations for the following year. The list for 2012 has recently been published and, rather like Eurovision Song Contest winners or the newly crowned Miss World, 10 countries have been celebrating their success at emerging from a formidable field ahead of their competitors.

For those who haven't yet seen the latest list, here are the Lonely Planet top countries for 2012:

Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2012

#1. Uganda
#2. Burma
#3. Ukraine
#4. Jordan
#5. Denmark
#6. Bhutan
#7. Cuba
#8. New Caledonia
#9. Taiwan
#10. Switzerland

The full Lonely Planet article can be found here. 

Looking at the list over the last four years a few trends emerge. Look out for the following on any of the lists:

- A former pariah state that has come in from the cold

- A place that no-one you know has ever been to

- A country that is about to change forever (‘see it before the tourists arrive’)

- A hip and trendy European country

- Somewhere that has not featured on a previous list for at least 5 years

- A host country for an upcoming sporting event

- Somewhere that rightly or wrongly suffers from a reputation as a boring destination

Some of the Lonely Planet nominations for 2011 clearly didn’t live up to their promise. Pity poor Japan, who had hoped for so many new tourists yet the numbers of visitors crashed after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. And what about Syria, tipped for greatness yet only months later plunged into nationwide violence that has probably destroyed its tourist industry for a long time to come?

But such blemishes should not detract from the positive vibes around a list that gives hope to many countries of tourist dollars pouring into their coffers. So here, as a sneak preview, is a list that we predict might closely mirror the Lonely Planet Top Countries for 2013.

 

A snarky experts guide to the Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2013

 

#1. Uzbekistan – stunning Islamic architecture in the Silk Road cities and a government that consistently scores highly on the corruption index, only just behind Somalia and Burma.

#2. Greece - by 2013 the inevitable return to a greatly devalued drachma could make Greece a fantastic budget destination. 

#3. Palau – Recently the subject of much debate by infamous travel writer @mrdavidwhitley who will be visiting the island in 2012.  Small and perfectly formed (so the tourist board probably says), this Pacific island nation just needs a bit of the Lonely Planet publicity juice to really bring in the tourists.

#4. Moldova – this often forgotten European nation is home to many hidden charms. If Lonely Planet manage to discover them Moldova will surely take its place on the list.

#5. South Sudan – the newest nation on Earth needed a year to get themselves sorted out, but by 2013 should be ready to welcome the world into its dusty desert borders.

#6. Egypt – who knows what the political situation will be, but if Egypt gets its act together 2013 may be the perfect opportunity to make up for lost time in once again attracting the masses to its shores.

#7. Australia – so the Lonely Planet folks have omitted their own nation for fear of bias but by next year they’re bound to give in. Perhaps the Aussie dollar may even have dropped a little….

#8. Bolivia – South America’s unsung inland jewel, or so the Bolivian tourist authorities would probably say if you asked them. Still a cool place to include on your RTW trip.

#9. Cayman Islands – by 2013 bankers will have been bashed so hard that stinking rich will be the ‘in’ thing to be. Head out to the Cayman Islands to admire the world’s wealthiest specimens at leisure.

#10. Belgium – for similar reasons to Switzerland's inclusion in the 2012 list. 

Where would you include in your list? Which country do you think is going to be the big winner when Lonely Planet sprinkles its magical fairy dust again in late 2012?

Photo: Zdenko Zivkovic

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