Tripadvisor just announced its first Travelers’ Choice Awards for the new year, offering up seven destination categories to inspire any vacation planning, whether you’re a foodie, a culture maven or a romantic.
Researchers for the trip planning site say that the travel scene has rebounded, with 81 percent of Americans planning to travel this year, 45 percent scheduling three or more vacations in 2024, and 46 percent heading abroad. (Now, we’re trying to square those stats with the Pew Research findings that 46 percent of us don’t use all our PTO. So, half the population must be making up for the other half by planning … six vacations in 2024?)
The travel site’s Best of the Best lists include “Top Destinations” — places travelers return to again and again — as well as trending, culture, food, nature and, new this year, honeymoon and sustainable destinations. Those returning traveler favorites are topped by New York City, Oahu and Las Vegas, with New Orleans coming in at No. 4 and Miami Beach at No. 5.
It’s the trending destinations, measured by travelers’ surging interest over the last year, that offer more surprises. Asian countries captured eight of the 10 spots on the global list, while U.S. destinations included everything from a Wine Country mecca to the great outdoors.