Travel And Leisure Destination Of The Year 2018: What To Know

Unsplash/Benjamin Hung

Travel + Leisure announced its 2018 Destination of the Year and it’s none other than Japan, one of the world’s fastest-growing travel destinations.

Travel + Leisure’s Destination of the Year typically embodies a place that the publication’s editors believe captures the year’s travel spirit and a destination that’s proven very popular among travel enthusiasts that year. This year, the long-time travel magazine chose Japan. The East Asian country was chosen because of its “skyrocketing number of international visitors, its exotic parks and temple gardens and its blend of vibrant cities, mountain trails and eclectic cuisine,” according to a press release. Destinations that have been honored with this title in the past include Canada (in 2017) and Portugal (in 2016).

Japan is unique in the fact that it combines beautiful landscapes and ancient culture with modern architecture and top-notch cuisine (we’re drooling just thinking about it). In this year’s announcement, the travel magazine noted that tourists are starting to explore beyond major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto into “all corners of the country.”

https://swirled.com/travel-and-leisure-destination-of-the-year-2018/

Unsplash/David Edelstein

Jacqueline Gifford, the editor in chief of Travel+Leisure, said in a statement that she believes the hospitality and graciousness of locals in Japan make the destination that much more appealing to travelers. “It is the people, of course, who make a destination,” she said.

To honor the travel destination of the year, Travel + Leisure plans to release ‘Locals’ a new monthly video series that presents a destination through the eyes of someone who lives there. The first episode of this series will come from the perspective of a ramen expert who built a career on teaching foreigners how to navigate Tokyo’s extensive ramen scene. ‘Eat Ramen Like a Local’ will be released this week and available to viewers via Instagram TV and TravelLeisure.com.

Whether you’re an avid hiker or a lover of weird snacks, Japan should definitely be on your travel bucket list.

Here’s Why You Need To Visit A Japanese Wasabi Farm ASAP

Japan’s Most Colorful Places Go Far Beyond Tokyo