Best places to travel in 2016: where to eat, sleep and adventure this year

From Rio to Shanghai – where will you be off to this year?
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Helena Cartwright21 January 2016

It's time to start thinking about where you're going to holiday in 2016. Rio is set to host the Olympics, BA is adding direct flights to Costa Rica and Lisbon is buzzing. Here are our predictions for the top 10 travel destinations this year.

Costa Rica

Love Costa Rica but hate having to fly to the US and waiting for a transfer? Now the UK is better connected than ever before as Thomson Airways has launched a new weekly service from Gatwick, meaning Brits no longer have to go via Madrid or Miami. In May next year, British Airways are adding another direct flight to the mix. With its Pacific and Caribbean coasts, volcanic peaks and vastly varied topography it is one of the best places to visit in 2016. It also encourages visits to neighbouring countries, such as Nicaragua and Panama, for travellers who like to explore.

Playa Guiones beach - Costa Rica
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Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is getting ready for its close-up. The world is ready to tune in for the 2016 Olympics in August, and Brazil is getting ready to play host. While a trip to the Olympic Games is a dream for many, we expect to see a steady stream of visitors before and, especially, after the competition when the streets are a little emptier. This budget-savvy approach is a more affordable way to catch the excitement and see Brazil in its finest hour. And the Paralympic Games, in September, offer their own inspiration for travel. The city is endowed with natural beauty, with its golden beaches, forested mountains and street party nightlife.

Corcovado Christ Statue - Rio de Janeiro

Cuba

The US and Cuba are on the verge of a deal to restoring direct regular airline flights and as tensions continue to thaw, travel there is getting easier. Many are therefore booking flights to Cuba to experience the country before it changes beyond recognition (and before prices rise as a result). Having been shut off for so long, Cuba is trapped in a time warp, with crumbling colonial buildings and 1950s cars. It is like nowhere else.

Cuba, Havana

National Parks, USA

With the US National Park Service is set to mark its 100th anniversary next summer, editors at travel magazine Afar named the American southwest, home to Arches, Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon and Capitol Reef National Parks, the top destination of 2016. Many of the parks will host special events to fete their milestone centennial August 25. Their aim is to get people to embrace the opportunities; to explore, learn, be inspired or simply have fun in their choice of the 407 national parks. Explore Yosemite National Park in California which has just celebrated its 125th anniversary, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona or Rocky mountain National Park in Colorado.

Mirror Lake - Yosemite National Park

Shanghai

Disney’s newest resort – and its first in mainland China – is expected to open in spring 2016. It will feature a traditional Magic Kingdom park complete with the Enchanted Storybook Castle which is the biggest yet. Rides and attractions will be scattered around six themed lands, including the pirate-themed Treasure Cove with the high-tech Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure ride. The Garden of the Twelve Friends at the park’s centre will contain murals of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac depicted as Disney characters. The Disneytown entertainment district will have restaurants, shopping and nightlife, including a theatre showing a Mandarin-language version of The Lion King. Two hotels, the Art Nouveau-style Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel, will accommodate guests in the park.

Aerial view of Shanghai Disney Resort

Hawaii

Always known as a vacation favourite, Hawaii is far from an emerging travel hot spot. However, 2016 is a milestone year as December 7 will mark the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Plans are underway to honour the event, with documentaries in the making, restoration efforts are underway for historic structures at the site and a mass marching band performance drawing from schools across the U.S. and Japan is set to take place. The sun seekers and golfers who regularly head to this Pacific paradise look as though they will be joined by a building flow of travellers interested in history, with the biggest wave arriving in early December.

Sunrise at Lanikai Beach Kailua - Hawaii

Netherlands

If you fancy a European hotspot closer to home, Eurostar are launching a new London to Amsterdam route which will provide an exciting new way to get to the city and allow you to venture easily into other beautiful neighbouring cities such as Utrecht, Rotterdam and Antwerp. Delve into the past of the city at the Amsterdam Museum (formerly the Amsterdam Historisch Museum), which maps the last eight centuries of urban evolution using quirky objects, taste flavourful cheeses at the smart Reypenaer tasting room, and have the perfect picnic in Vondelpark.

ONEierland Lighthouse with dunes - The Netherlands

St Helena

The remote South Atlantic island of St Helena offers great appeal to those looking to travel far off the beaten track and wish to experience a quiet break. Previously only reachable by sea, in February 2016, St Helena will open its first airport making the island much more accessible to UK visitors. While on the island, you can enjoy historic sites, dramatic landscapes and a range of wildlife - and be sure not to miss climbing the 699 steps of Jacob’s Ladder, finding the heart-shaped waterfall at Diana’s Peak National Park or strolling around Jamestown’s brightly-painted buildings.

Heart shaped waterfall - St Helena

Botswana

Lonely Planet has named it one of its top countries to visit in 2016 and it seems that it is deservedly so. In 2016, the country is set to celebrate 50 years of independence, as it has successfully demonstrated democratic elections, stable economic growth and a responsible attitude to environmental and wildlife concerns. The Okavango Delta - the world’s largest - is one of Africa's last remaining great wildlife habitats and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, and lions. Whether your thing is safaris, photography, bird watching, quad biking, or off-road adventures, you are sure to have an unforgettable journey in Botswana.

Sunset on Okavango Delta - Botswana

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is upping its game as it braces itself to welcome the new FIFA World Football Museum, expected to open in spring 2016 - football fans have been waiting for this moment with bated breath. At the heart of the city, the 3500 sqm whopper of a museum is there to whisk fans through the history of the game, with a timeline, hall of fame and cinema; recreate stadium fever with a giant football pinball machine. It also harbours the world’s biggest collection of football books. Huddled away in the basement is the museum’s very own Mona Lisa: the World Cup Trophy itself.

Tokyo, Japan

Tourism has boomed under the current prime minister’s administration. They are actively targeting niche UK markets by focusing on ski, honeymoon and adventure tourism offerings. Thanks to the cheap Japan Rail Passes and Airbnb type accommodation, Tokyo is now 50 per cent cheaper for UK travellers than in four years ago. What’s more, Japan will host the 2020 Olympics and the 2019 Rugby World Cup so attention will only increase throughout 2016. Their first high speed train will also launch in 2016, opening up more of Japan to visitors.

Chidorigafuchi Park - Tokyo, Japan

Nepal

After the devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015, there is new interest in Nepal now that it is safe for travel again. The roads between the main centres of Kathmandu, Chitwan and Pokhara are open, along with tourist sites. Visitors will receive a warm welcome from the locals, many of whom depend on tourism for their livelihoods. It is undoubtedly one of the world’s most alluring countries for the adventure traveller, as it contains some of the most exciting and unique tours on the planet. It is home to Chitwan National Park where you can ride an elephants and explore the dense marshlands of Chitwan National Park for other extraordinary animals. With remarkably serene lakes and outstanding views of Mount Everast, treks around the Gokyo Lake are truly memorable.

View from the Renjola pass on Gokyo and Gokyo Tso Lake over the Ngozumpa glacier to the Everest - Nepal

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