Each year, travel experts Lonely Planet pick out their top destinations for the year ahead. This year, the Covid-19 global crisis has largely halted international travel, leading the guidebook publishers to make its 2021 list a little different.
In a year when travel was paused, other issues were highlighted. The conversation around diversity shifted, environmental issues were front and centre and decades-old problems such as overtourism changed overnight.
In order to reflect this, Lonely Planet's 2021 Best in Travel spotlights not only destinations, but also people, companies and communities transforming the travel industry.
In the final shortlist of winners, the Middle East is well-represented.
Jordan is the world's most welcoming place
Amman takes the award for the Most Welcoming Destination by Lonely Planet. The city was praised for its warm hospitality and friendly locals.
“In Jordan, Ahlan wa sahlan (welcome) is not an empty greeting. Stemming culturally from Levantine and Bedouin traditions, geniality and generosity are ingrained into the Middle Eastern welcome, with the sharing of food and drink at its heart,” say the travel experts.
In the Community category, Syrian refugee Hesham Moadamani is named Top Storyteller. Using his personal experience, he guides travellers around Berlin in his work for Refugee Voice Tours, drawing parallels between conflict in his home country and the history of migration in Germany.
One of the youngest black voices in travel
Gabby Beckford is named the Emerging Voice in Lonely Planet's Diversity category. The Virginian-raised traveller calls Dubai her favourite city after winning a scholarship and spending her junior year of college studying in the emirate.
Since then, she’s pivoted her personal blog to a travel resource, designed to empower young people hoping to see the world, and is one of the youngest black voices in travel.
From the UK, Soraya Abdel-Hadi is awarded first place in the Sustainable Storyteller category. The tour guide has previously lived in the UAE and in Morocco and aims to make travellers more mindful, even if they can’t venture far from home.
Recognising that all travel comes with a footprint, Abdel-Hadi uses her channels to encourage people to make choices that champion sustainability.
In January, Lonely Planet will announce another list – this time ranking readers’ nominations of their favourite people and places shaping the future of travel. Voting is now open on the Lonely Planet website.
The 2021 list also features 12 destinations across the world and you can see these listed in the gallery above.
From Rwanda's mountain gorilla conservation programme to a company offering perspective-altering treks through Ethiopia's landscapes and a group offering accessible tours in 30 destinations, here is the complete list of the places, people and initiatives that Lonely Planet thinks will make travel in 2021 a year like no other.
Lonely Planet’s 2021 Best in Travel
Sustainability winners
- Storyteller: Soraya Abdel-Hadi
- Walk: Le Vie di Dante (Roads of Dante)
- Wildlife programme: Rwanda
- Emerging destination: Antigua & Barbuda
- Train journey: Rocky Mountaineer
- Food destination: Greece
- Cycling route: Virginia Mountain Bike Trail
- Sustainable accommodation: Grootberg Lodge, Namibia
- Sustainable islands: Palau
- Sustainable city: Gothenburg, Sweden
Diversity winners
- Emerging voice: Gabby Beckford
- Accessible destination: Costa Rica
- Multi-generational: El Hierro, Spain
- Indigenous food: Hiakai, New Zealand
- Inclusive storyteller: Jeff Jenkins, Chubby Diaries
- Inclusive tours: Wheels of the World
- LGBTIQ storyteller: Karl Krause and Daan Colijn, Couple of Men
- Under-explored history: Gullah Islands, USA
- Cultural diversity: San Diego, USA
- Welcoming destination: Amman, Jordan
Community winners
- Tour: Invisible Cities, UK
- Accommodation: Kazakhstan
- Immersion: Faroe Islands
- Revitalisation: Medellin, Colombia
- Trekking: Tesfa Tours, Ethiopia
- Restoration: Australia
- Storyteller: Hesham Moadamani, Refugee Voices Tours
- Small business: Footprints Cafe, Cambodia
- Tourism project: Burren Ecotourism Network, Ireland
- Expat storyteller: Georgette Jupe, Girl In Florence
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Honeymoonish
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Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
