Why Bhutan, ‘world’s last Shangri-La’, tops Lonely Planet’s 2020 best places to visit list
- The tiny Himalayan country, aiming to become the first 100 per cent organic nation next year, features fantastic monasteries, festivals and trekking
- China’s Guizhou Province makes the top 10 regions list thanks to its capital’s character and the feeling of ‘old China’ out in the countryside
What’s the most on-trend travel destination going to be in 2020? It’s Bhutan, according to Lonely Planet, which has put the tiny Asian nation at the top of its Best in Travel 2020 book, an annual publication of its top 10 countries, cities, regions and best-value destinations for the year ahead.
Often described as the world’s last Shangri-La, the Himalayan kingdom is aiming to become the world’s first 100 per cent organic nation next year, banning the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in all farms. It is already the only carbon-negative country, removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it contributes.
“Bhutan really taps into one of the themes of this year’s Best in Travel, which is the growing awareness in sustainability and in looking after the things that make our world so beautiful,” says Tom Hall, vice-president of experience at Lonely Planet. “Bhutan is playing a leading role in that.”
There are many other reasons to visit Bhutan: incredible monasteries, fantastic festivals and classic Himalayan trekking.
“It’s got a lot of things that travellers are interested in at the moment,” says Hall.