Porto Cervo, Italy; San Miguel De Allende, Mexico; Udaipur, India; and Zermatt, Switzerland are among the top places to visit
American Express Travel released its
annual Trending Destinations list for 2024 today, featuring the 10 must-visit vacation spots based on global American Express Card Member travel bookings and recommendations from Amex Travel’s team of 6,000 expert Travel Consultants. This year’s list – 2024 Trending Destinations: Off the Beaten Path – goes beyond the traditional, well-known vacation spots to uncover hidden gems and new experiences that travellers, particularly Millennials and Gen-Z, are looking for.
“People are looking for new experiences and to immerse themselves in the local culture when they travel,” said Audrey Hendley, President of American Express Travel. “Whether you crave a new adventure or just want to beat the crowds, this list is a great place for every type of traveller to find their next vacation destination. Through our Travel Consultants’ expertise and extensive knowledge, we can help find the perfect place to stay, the fastest way to get there, and the best local activities to create an incredible trip,” she added.
Below is the full list of the Top Trending Destinations for 2024:
The Trending Destinations list offers a trip for all kinds of travellers. For example:
- Instead of the popular Blue Mountains of New South Wales, consider the Adelaide Hills with its charming villages and bustling culinary scene for your Australian rural retreat.
- If you love the history and energy of Istanbul, Bodrum, Turkey is home to beaches on the sparkling blue Aegean, bustling bazaars, fresh seafood, and active nightlife.
- Pastel-hued Porto Cervo, Italy on the island of Sardinia is a more exclusive alternative to the iconic Amalfi Coast that still gives visitors celebrity glamour and mouth-watering cuisine.
- The sparkling seas, friendly locals and historic culture of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean make it the perfect destination for those who love the laid-back vibes and white-sand beaches of St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Travellers who love to ski in Sapporo can head farther afield to Niseko, Japan on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, for an equally unforgettable winter-sports experience.
- Those who flock to Mexico’s Riviera Maya for its beautiful scenery and vibrant food and culture will find a similarly colourful and stimulating urban experience by travelling inland to San Miguel de Allende.
- Santa Fe, New Mexico offers a similar blend of American Southwest culture, history, and natural beauty as popular Sedona.
- The Maldives have come to symbolize the exclusive end-of-the earth beach vacation. The Seychelles offer a similar paradise, along with expansive biodiversity and multicultural vibrancy.
- Udaipur, India, an uber-romantic city of lakes and palaces, is a great alternative to Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.
- For those who love skiing the Dolomites, picturesque Zermatt, Switzerland offers a similar, charming feel.
2024 Trending Destinations: Off The Beaten Path (americanexpress.com)
American Express Travel’s Travel Consultants have identified the best places to explore, eat, and stay for each destination, so that travellers can get a taste of the local culture, including seeing koalas in the wild in Adelaide Hills; shopping for Turkish towels at the bazaars in Bodrum; and visiting a museum devoted to ceremonial masks in San Miguel de Allende.
When Card Members book trips with Amex Travel, its massive global footprint and incredible benefits help them make the most out of their travel through access to 6,000 Travel Consultants in 23 countries who speak 13 languages and over 2,300 properties in 114 countries through the Fine Hotels + Resorts ®1 and The Hotel Collection2 programs.
1This benefit is available only to eligible Platinum Card Members.
2This benefit is available only to eligible Gold and Platinum Card Members.
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![Japan’s epic snowfalls and renowned hospitality traditions make it a winter destination like no other. Sapporo, capital of the northernmost island of Hokkaido, boasts great museums and a famous Snow Festival, but for a slopes-forward alternative, head farther afield to Niseko. There’s terrain to suit all levels in Niseko. Niseko United comprises four resorts (serviced by thirty lifts) and more than 2,000 skiable acres. Unlike in other parts of Japan, going off-piste is encouraged here, enabling advanced athletes to swoosh through tree groves and thigh-deep champagne powder. The infrastructure is world-class. Gondolas and hooded chairlifts provide a welcome respite from the snow-globe conditions, and the collection of friendly ski villages run the gamut from smaller and less touristy Annupuri to bustling Grand Hirafu, with its international après scene. The ski resorts here might be the only ones known for dining. Many of them showcase Hokkaido’s seafood bounty—king crab, sweet and buttery sea urchin—whether in familiar sushi format or in teeming rice bowls. Handmade soba noodles are widely available, and tasty soup curries, a regional specialty, are hard to beat after a cold day on the slopes. Bars purvey a fabulous range of local beers and finely crafted Japanese whiskies, and no Niseko ski day is complete without a soak in the traditional hot-spring-fed baths known as onsen. Image American Express Travel American Express Travel 2024 Trending Destinations OFF THE BEATEN PATH](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva5Qyl-IL5RDRuhBnvAdFWnCYrQ458L-5PUqH14hMAqi1q1NjECjMc0W4mNsxDcZdAQmDMpj2OMOAdeTWVMKqJDMBgz063MIpaDrkxaXqlcsCwOsa22rW1oStIBsoAdgWs7cbG8FXWM8loeLgch_JegWKM0xsDQZe0iEhIu0KsBBwrcrNCSvcDVneh-l5/w640-h270/Niseko_hero_1710x720.webp)
![Agra understandably ends up on bucket lists, largely because it is home to one of the world’s most famous monuments, the Taj Mahal. In Udaipur, Rajasthan’s uber-romantic city of lakes and palaces, the sense of historical grandeur is just as magical. The biggest single attraction of “the white city” is its main palace complex, a granite-and-marble riot of cupolas and balconies that looks like something out of an exotic fairytale. Like many of Udaipur’s celebrated buildings, it sits on one of the city’s seven canal-connected lakes. The most swoon-worthy of these monuments, a 17th-century island palace called Jag Mandir, rises from the glassy waters as though it’s floating. There’s more to this former Rajput capital than photogenic architecture, though. Rajasthan is renowned for its handicrafts, and you can shop for everything from silver to fine saris, and wooden furniture to the region’s famous miniature paintings, helping to support the local community. The winding streets also serve as stages for folk dances and puppet shows. Though Udaipur doesn’t offer much in the way of bars, the food is delicious—and heavier on meat dishes like laal maas, a chili-spiced mutton curry, than other parts of India. One must-do is dinner at one of the rooftop restaurants with views of Lake Pichola. Another is a sunset boat ride on that same iconic lake. It’s worth briefly leaving city limits, too, for tours of the sprawling fort at Kumbhalargh and the 48,000-square-foot temple at Ranakpur. Both historic sites are exceptional, even by the sky-high standards of this magical part of India. Image American Express Travel American Express Travel 2024 Trending Destinations OFF THE BEATEN PATH](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBT0MfvwgC3nR4-xSTR2xz938ugBsKP-XOnbGtiCj2tHljuyRGlrHJYlVXLFe_2FatJ14K9Uop2i4FT7f9mWOO36zai5vDavcMbsoCqXhv85jlNwypPBiU2lnwuv5_9AtNkKkdQQRXIdCi14g4R9W-1KfIVN9BWyYp16cd1n0_FFTm3NSLQqVEQnxGgIC/w640-h270/Udaipur_hero_1710x720.webp)