More destinations for 2007

'Best of' lists — By Bob Riel on February 6, 2007 at 7:40 am

It’s not January anymore, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still consider new travel destinations for 2007. The Los Angeles Times ran an article this past weekend about “don’t-miss destinations” for the coming year. China tops the paper’s list, which includes Nepal, Guatemala, Dubai and six other locales.

Interestingly, China is also atop Lonely Planet’s previously released list of hot destinations for 2007.

For its diverse landscapes, amazing culture, world heritage sites and general affordability — not to mention its accelerating emergence as a power on the world stage — China is the place to visit this year. Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong all warrant some travel time, but travelers who really want to understand China should get out into the rural areas where 70 percent of the population still lives. There the old foundations of the new China are poignantly revealed.

Morocco, Argentina, Nicaragua and India are four of the other destinations on Lonely Planet’s list, as are Hawaii, New Orleans and Brooklyn in the United States.

Meanwhile, Rolf Potts recently polled a variety of regional experts for a few 2007 tips. Among their recommendations are Bolivia, Ethiopia and Fiji. Philip Briggs had this to say about Ethiopia:

Popular perceptions of Ethiopia are dominated by images of drought and famine, but it is actually one of the most fertile and densely populated countries in Africa … It’s also a remarkably underrated travel destination, particularly for independent travelers, for whom it offers the combination of limitless off-the-beaten-track sightseeing and a high level of affordability. Culturally, Ethiopia offers a unique blend of the Biblical, the medieval and the modern, creating what Dervla Murphy referred to as the “Orlando-like illusion of traveling through different centuries” – nowhere more so than at Lalibela, where a dozen rock-hewn churches, still in active use today, pay devout testament to one of the world’s oldest and idiosyncratic Christian denominations.

So, where do you want to travel in 2007?