https://www.traveldailynews.com/assets/thumbnails/c0/c02e3e8fdece8d168cdcf772d096bc12.jpg

Wanderlust Magazine announces 2020 Reader Travel Awards

by

Namibia clinches Top Country spot for second year, Kyrgyzstan voted. Top Emerging Destination and Scottish Highlands bags top UK Destination
 

Sensational wildlife spots. A unique tribal culture. Otherworldly red deserts. These are just a few of the reasons why Namibia has been voted Top Country in the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2020 , with Kyrgyzstan, Scotland and Asian destinations also celebrating success.

The awards were presented at a special event hosted at Destinations: The Holiday and Travel Show at Olympia today, 30th January 2020, co-hosted by Wanderlust Magazine’s Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief Lyn Hughes.

This marks Namibia’s second Top Country win in a row. The African nation also won in 2014, with the country now a regular fixture in Wanderlust Magazine Readers’ top ten destinations.

Hughes commented on the destination: “Having tracked rhinos there, I can personally testify that this country is a conservation success story, with wildlife still flourishing both inside and outside the national parks, really adding to the visitor experience.”

Peru leap-frogged perennial favourites Japan, New Zealand and Laos to silver position in the Top Country category. Kenya also found itself rocketing into the top ten, buoyed by conservation successes and a dramatic breadth of landscapes – from big five boasting plains to fish-teeming reefs.

Kyrgyzstan won Top Emerging Destination with a remarkable 100% rating – the second ‘Silk Road’ destination to win this award in a row (after Uzbekistan last year), drawing adventurous visitors in with the promise of epic landscapes, such as the Celestial Mountains and Jeti-Oghuz Canyon, or the promise of horseriding or yurt stays. With fellow ‘Silk’ destinations Tajikistan and Iran also making the top five, it puts this ancient trade route firmly back on the travel map.

“In an increasingly over-touristed and homogenised world, travellers are looking for destinations with more than a whiff of authenticity,” added Lyn Hughes. “There has been a renewed interest in Central Asia and anywhere connected with the ‘Silk Road’.”

But Kyrgyzstan’s success was just one win in a banner year for Asia. Kyoto reclaimed its crown as Top City once again (just edging out Singapore and Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu). Singapore Airlines jumped to the top of Wanderlust readers’ Top Airlines, while its near-legendary central transport hub, Singapore Changi won Airport of the Year for an extraordinary 19th time. Meanwhile Selective Asia edged Top Tour Operator, from third last year.

There was further Asian success, with Vietnam revealed to be the Most Popular Destination Online at www.wanderlust.co.uk. It was the most clicked on country by visitors to the Wanderlust website, demonstrating its enduring popularity with Wanderlust readers and deserving of this new, special award.

There was also a special prize for Sri Lanka. The country’s remarkable tourism bounce-back after the tragic bombings of April 2019 has earned it the Comeback of the Year.

The wild and wonderful Scottish Highlands continues to claim bragging rights in the Best UK Destination category, just pipping big re-entry Brighton.  Elsewhere in the UK, the wilderness reigns: the South Downs, the Lake District and New Forest – all untamed beauties — also make the grade again.

Elsewhere, there was a special award for the groundbreaking conservation work being done by the Caiman Ecolodge & Oncafari Project, helping protect the jaguars and landscapes of Brazil’s Southern Pantanal. Lyn announced them as Wanderlust’s Conservation Heroes.

The finalists were rated by 2,422 Wanderlust readers with a total of 8,228 votes in the Top Country category alone, highlighting the magazine’s reach.

Other category winners are as follows: