There’s no harm in relying on social media or booking data to tell us which destinations in the world are the most popular at the moment. But public opinion? That’s the ever-changing cross to which we all must bow.
Wanderlust this year called on 168,000 travellers to participate in its 23rd annual Reader Travel Awards, and more than 3 million votes were cast across 22 different categories in total.
One of those was the most desirable country in the world, and for an impressive third time in four years, the champion was Australia!
While we already knew this vast country was a brilliant place to travel, Wanderlust said the sudden increase in interest could have coincided with ‘a steep rise in the availability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-run cultural tours and experiences. These have opened up new ways to see this ancient land, from exploring the Indigenous roots of iconic cities such as Sydney to venturing into the red desert of the Northern Territory and its 65,000 years of culture.’
In second place it was Canada and in third place it was Japan. Here’s the full list of 10 ‘most desirable country’ winners.
These are the most desirable countries in the world, according to Wanderlust
- Australia
- Canada
- Japan
- USA
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
- Brazil
- South Korea
- Peru
Did you see that this Asian country just granted visa-free access to eight more European destinations?
Plus: What is Travel Tuesday? All you need to know about the Black Friday of travel deals 2024.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.