Global travel authority Lonely Planet has chosen Singapore as the world’s number-one country for next year in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2015. Best in Travel 2015 is its 10th annual agenda-setting collection of the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the year ahead.
Not surprisingly, what makes Singapore an attractive destination for 2015 is the nation’s 50th birthday celebration all year round.
Chris Zeiher, Lonely Planet’s Asia Pacific Sales & Marketing Director, said, “What we really like about Singapore is that you actually have a variety of experiences happening at a compact destination. Singapore has never made our list before and one of the key things that we’re really impressed with is the huge calendar of events. You’re really going to celebrate culture and independence, and that for us gives us a real reason to go out to our travel community and encourage them to relook at Singapore.”
Best in Travel’s recommendations are drawn from hundreds of ideas submitted by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors, and extended family of travellers, bloggers and tweeters. Their suggestions are then refined by a panel of in-house travel experts, based on topicality, excitement, value and that special X-factor. Lonely Planet’s focus is on the merits of each destination and the unique experiences they offer travellers.
“As one of the world’s most multicultural cities, Singapore is always celebrating something,” Lonely Planet says. “But Asia’s smallest state has an extra special reason to put on her party hat in 2015, for it’s her Golden Jubilee.”
“To coincide with the anniversary,” Lonely Planet says, Singapore is set to usher in a number of new attractions in 2015, including the National Art Gallery and the Singapore Sports Hub.”
“Amid all this,” the book observes, “Singapore has been nurturing an emerging local fashion scene, artisan coffee has taken off like wildfire, and brunch has become a ‘thing’.”
“These elements make a pretty spectacular backdrop for a 50th birthday party,” Lonely Planet says.
Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Countries 2015 are:
1. Singapore
2. Namibia
3. Lithuania
4. Nicaragua
5. Ireland
6. Republic of Congo
7. Serbia
8. The Philippines
9. St Lucia
10. Morocco
In the midst of the celebration, we stole a quick chat with Chris Zeiher to get his take on travel…
Nookmag (N): How do you think people should travel in Singapore and have a unique experience here?
Chris (C): We really encourage a lot of our travellers to get out there and walk around, explore back streets, wander around Chinatown, find a cool little bar. Explore a little bit wider. You know, walk off the main streets and go down some of those cool little alleyways and neighbourhoods. You can find really interesting places – it might be a bar, shop, cafe, or a jewellery store. Explore a little bit deeper – get beyond the glitzy hotels and Orchard Road.
If they are shopping locally, they’re giving back to the locals as well and keeping money in the community. That’s really important. That’s why we really encourage people to shop locally, support local artists, local cafes and communities.
N: Where in the world are you itching to go to?
C: I ticked my number one off the list last year. I went to Iceland. It was amazing. I descended into a volcano. It’s the only place in the world with a dormant volcano but the crater hasn’t blown, so you get to descend right down into the centre of the crater and you can walk around in the base. It’s only opened three months of the year and they only let 30-40 people down a day.
My number two is Sicily, which is where I’ll be going next year. I’d like to do a little tour around a series of islands called Aeolian islands. This is where Stromboli is, which has an amazing live volcano. I’ve done the cold, so now I want a Mediterranean trip, get a bit of a tan. The other one that I’m really interested in is Nicaragua. It’s creeping up my list, which is always changing. Ask me next year and it’ll be completely different.
N: The world is so big. Are you afraid that you wouldn’t be able to cover everything?
C: Absolutely. That’s why we travel all the time. I’ve been on the road for three weeks now. And my family is like “where are you”. There is so much to experience, so many lovely people to meet. As travellers, you get to connect and be educated about the destinations, communities and the sense of spirit that they have. You have experience that you may not have at home. That’s our message – get out there, travel, do it.
Lonely Planet’s Best In Travel 2015 is retailing at USD14.99.
