New year, new perspective. In 2023, make extensive use of this formula when planning travel.
Many nations have lifted most of their pandemic restrictions after nearly three years of travel disruptions and complications. Individuals are voyaging universally en masse, and there’s a lot of repressed request to spread all over the planet.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization predicted that by the end of 2022, international tourism would have reached 65% of pre-pandemic levels. Some regions have recently reached levels closer to 80% or 90% of their 2019 arrivals. Additionally, experts are cautiously optimistic regarding a sustained rebound in travel.
There’s a good reason why so many tourists are rushing into the new year.
To get you started, here are 23 destinations suggested by CNN Travel:
Poland
We could list new properties opening in Poland, like the Autograph Collection’s Hotel Verte in Warsaw, which opened its gilded doors in August in a massive Baroque palace. However, the chance to stay in a place fit for royalty is not the primary reason to travel to Poland in 2023. It’s to express solidarity with a nation that has also expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Sharing a 300 or more mile line with a nation enduring an onslaught has implied that Poland has taken in additional Ukrainian displaced people than elsewhere. A difficult circumstance arises when you factor in the declining number of tourists, despite the fact that they are currently rising.
Now is your chance to take a vacation and do good, whether you want to see the Warsaw palace, visit Krakow, Gdansk, Wrocaw, or Pozna, all hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border, or get away from it all in the countryside’s forests, lakes, and mountains. Buckley, Julia
Western Australia
A total solar eclipse will be visible over Australia’s northwest on April 20, 2023.
The town of Exmouth and the larger Ningaloo Peninsula on which it sits have been planning for more than a year for an event that is likely to last about one minute. In addition to musical performances, educational opportunities to learn about astronomy and science, and a three-day Dark Sky Festival, there will be outdoor viewing platforms where spectators can safely watch the solar miracle (with safety glasses, of course).
However, the state of Western Australia provides a lot more than just a brief moment of wonder.
It covers one-third of Australia’s continent, from Perth, the vibrant and expanding state capital, through deserts like the Great Victoria and Great Sandy, Margaret River’s wine country, the dramatic clifftops of the Kimberley, and Rottnest Island, which is covered in quokka. — Marcus Lilit
Liverpool, England
Liverpool, the port city in England that is most well-known for being the birthplace of The Beatles, is adding another chapter to its musical history.
It will be the host city of Eurovision 2023 in May, a glittering music competition that attracts thousands of flag-waving fans from across Europe. After suffering the humiliation of losing its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2021, this presents the city with an opportunity to rebuild its image.
More than 30 international artists and collectives will take over city spaces until September in celebration of the city’s 25th anniversary of the Liverpool Biennial contemporary visual arts festival.
In 2023, England also celebrates the Year of the Coast with food festivals and beach clean-ups along its coastline. Crosby Beach, where 100 cast-iron figures stand facing out to sea, is the permanent home of sculptor Antony Gormley’s “Another Place,” which can be reached by train in half an hour from the city center of Liverpool. O’Hara, Maureen
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston displays its history like no other city in the United States, but it frequently ignores the history of its Black residents. It has been working on getting that fixed.
Enter the International African American Museum, which has postponed its January opening date and promises to announce its opening “soon” in 2023. The site where many Africans first set foot in North America will be the location of the museum, which will be on the Cooper River’s shore. The lives of slaves and their kin will be examined.
The world-famous Spoleto Festival, held in late May and early June, features performances by opera, dance, music, and other forms of theater, as well as artist talks. Additionally, the Charleston Wine and Food Festival, which will take place from March 1 to 5, is a must-attend event for foodies.
Not able to attend the festival? You’ll in any case be all around took care of. Magnolias is a good option for upscale Southern fare. It helped the city’s culinary revival when it opened in 1990. Try Bertha’s Kitchen in North Charleston for something casual, where red rice with sausage, fried chicken, and lima beans are the norm. Even the author of “Roadfood,” Michael Stern, was intrigued by the eatery. — Russell Brown
Vilnius, Lithuania
In a recent advertising campaign, the self-effacing Vilnius acknowledged that nobody really knows where it is. If their brilliant video wasn’t enough to make you want to go there right away, maybe this will: On January 25, 2023, the capital of Lithuania will mark its 700th birthday.
A year-long program includes music festivals and exhibitions to commemorate the milestone. However, rather than adhering to a program strictly, use the anniversary as an incentive to visit.
The entire city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ranking it alongside Venice and Vienna as one of the V-cities. Vilnius’s Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings all sit on a medieval street plan, which is why it made the list. However, its Baroque architecture is what most people are most familiar with.
The frothy bell tower of St. John’s church, which you can climb to get sweeping views of the city, and the church of St. Casimir, which has a huge crown on top, should not be missed. Got an eye for virtual entertainment? This is Europe’s just capital city that permits sight-seeing balloons to voyage over the city horizon. – – JB
Hundreds of tranquil islands, vast coral reefs, and brilliant blue waters: Fiji is easy to sell. However, why visit in 2023? First, the country only reopened at the end of 2021 after COVID, so visitor numbers to the paradise in the South Pacific haven’t fully recovered.
Take advantage of the country’s abundance of underwater beauty to discover its treasures above water as well. The town of Levuka, a former capital and important port, is the country’s only UNESCO World Heritage site. It is dotted with British colonial-era buildings amid coconut and mango trees.
Travelers can take part in a kava welcoming ceremony, named after the traditional drink at its center, or a lovo, a meal cooked over hot coals in an underground pit covered with banana leaves, to learn more about the local Indigenous communities.
It is now relatively simple to travel to the islands thanks to Fiji Airways’ direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Bula!, as the Fijians call it — LM
Manaus, Brazil
Two eco-lodges have taken advantage of their pandemic pause to become even more environmentally friendly as the fate of the Amazon rainforest hangs in the balance. Manaus is the capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state and the entry point to the river.
A brand-new $400,000 solar plant powers Juma Amazon Lodge, which is located approximately 50 miles south of the city. The plant’s 268 double panels rise nearly 40 feet above the canopy, preventing the need to cut down any trees. In addition, they have constructed a biogas system to reduce annual carbon emissions by eight tons and improve the treatment efficiency of organic waste.
During the pandemic, Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge opened an off-grid “advanced base” 30 miles from the main lodge and only accessible by river, located on the Rio Negro river northwest of Manaus.
In one of the most remote hotels in the Amazon, guests can take long jungle hikes through territory that is home to jaguars, pumas, and giant armadillos. After that, they can relax in a hammock or by the pool. The lodge intends to accommodate small groups for overnight stays in a creekside tent in 2023.
Don’t miss Manaus itself; eating enormous fish from the Amazon outside the pink 1896 opera house is a must-do. JB
With a UNESCO-endorsed local food scene that recently celebrated the renovation and reopening of its century-old Modiano food market, Greece’s second city has plenty of reasons to visit recently.
Thessaloniki is definitely a contender for one of the best places in Europe to spend a city break. It has a popular waterfront and is close to beautiful beaches and mountains in the interior.
What else could improve it? What about a brand-new, sparkling metro system? All being great, November 2023 ought to see the launch of the fundamental line of a foundation megaproject that will ultimately associate the city’s midtown to its global air terminal. Passengers will be transported by driverless trains through tunnels whose excavation has enhanced Thessaloniki’s already extensive collection of archeological finds. Many of these finds will be displayed in specially designed museum stations. — Neild, Barry
