This year is the first time Rough Guides has combined cities, countries and regions to create one definitive list of places to visit in the year ahead.
Newcastle is described by Rough Guides as a city on the rise, host of the first Great Exhibition of the North in 2018, and praised by the travel publisher for its Geordie geniality, lively nightlife, burgeoning restaurant scene, fantastic museums and architectural feats.
The new Civil Rights Trail in the USA came second, while Malawi took the third spot. European Capital of Culture Valletta (pictured above) and Wales complete the top five.
From new trekking routes and historical trails to underrated cities and conservation success stories, Rough Guides’ team of travel editors, journalists and authors have picked 18 places that adventurous, independent travellers should have on their radar for 2018.
Coralie Modschiedler, Senior Web Editor at Rough Guides, said: “After weeks of deliberation, we’re extremely excited to reveal the 18 destinations that made The Rough Guide to 2018. This year, we wanted to include destinations that will be big news next year but also look at places that are underrated, up-and-coming or newly back on the tourist map.”
Rough Guides is a leading travel publisher known for its “tell it like it is” attitude, accurate, up-to-date content and authoritative contemporary writing. Rough Guides publishes books covering more than 120 destinations around the globe, produces an ever-growing series of eBooks and a range of reference titles, and has an award-winning website. As of November 2017, Rough Guides became part of APA Publications, publisher of Insight Guides and Berlitz.
The Rough Guide to 2018 Top Travel Destinations is:
1, Newcastle, England; 2, Civil Rights Trail, USA; 3, Malawi; 4, Valletta, Malta; 5, Wales; 6, Cuba; 7, Russia; 8, New Orleans, USA; 9, Chile; 10, Sierra Leone; 11, South Korea; 12, Jordan; 13, Tbilisi, Georgia; 14, South Africa; 15, Palermo, Italy; 16, Togian Islands, Indonesia; 17, Tunisia; 18, Belize.
