2020 was the year that the travel industry sadly ground to a halt. Borders were closed, lockdowns were imposed, and there wasn't a plane in the sky for months.
Now that a COVID vaccine is finally being rolled out, dreams of travel are beginning to feel more real. While many restrictions to tourists are still very much in place and ever-changing, online travel agents and specialists have gathered search and booking data to reveal the best and most popular holiday destinations for 2021.
This week, online travel agent eDreams ODIGEO released data showing that most of us are opting to travel within Europe next year. In fact, just two long-haul destinations – Fort de France, Martinique (in the Caribbean), and Bangkok, Thailand – made the top 10 cut.
These are their 10 most booked destinations for 2021:
Lisbon, Portugal (pictured)
Istanbul, Turkey
Fort de France, Martinique
Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Tenerife, Spain
Paris, France
Porto, Portugal
Bangkok, Thailand
Dublin, Ireland
Alicante, Spain
With endless exciting restaurants to dine at, old cobbled streets to stroll down and pretty tiled façades and wooden trams to photograph, it's no wonder Portugal's increasingly popular capital topped the list. Munch on pasteis de natas at Pastéis de Belém (the first bakery to sell the sweet treats in 1837), shop for one-of-a-kind trinkets at A Vida Portuguesa, and bliss out at boutique bolthole AlmaLusa.
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If Tenerife takes your fancy, we cannot recommend the Ritz Carlton Abama highly enough. Or if you happen to find yourself in Paris, this would be our top pick of where to stay.
Elsewhere, travel website Skyscanner has revealed their top holiday destinations for 2021, taking into account new travel trends as well as differing tourist requirements. Their more far-flung recommendations are:
Coral Coast, Western Australia – for off-grid escape
Japan – for sports and the Olympics
South Korea – for a semblance of normality and few Covid restrictions
Greece – for quiet luxury
California, US – for surfing
New York and the Balearic Islands – for partying
The Maldives, Mexico and the Caribbean – for remote working from paradise
Costa Rica, Jamaica and the Azores – for sustainable, conscious travel
In the top spot, Australia's little-known Abrolhos Islands is an archipelago of 122 islands boasting impossibly blue waters, white sand beaches and plenty of wildlife for keen divers and photographers. Get us in that water ASAP please.
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Japan, in second place, had to postpone this year's Olympic games which will now start in July 2021. Their initial plan to open the borders to tourists, potentially with limited small group tours in April 2021, continue to evolve.
