Article: The Joy of Visiting Emerging Tourist Destinations

[AFF Editor]

The Joy of Visiting Emerging Tourist Destinations is an article written by AFF editorial staff:

The Joy of Visiting Emerging Tourist Destinations

In emerging tourist destinations such as Laos, Uganda, Kazakhstan, Greenland or Oman, you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

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Have you found it worthwhile to travel off the beaten track? Or perhaps you have a recommendation of an emerging tourist destination to consider?

Let us know by leaving a comment or discussing this topic here!

 

[jaybo]

my wife and i travel a lot around March / September timeslots when it's off-peak and love it for exactly that reason, we visited Venice in March, a time period when there were no cruise ships and the whole city was lovely and quiet - we got lucky with clear weather, it was cold but nothing a good jacket and a beanie didn't take care of (we were off to the ski slopes afterwards, so we were prepared) - the photos i was sending to my mates were all coming back with comments like "wow how come it's so quiet? we couldn't even cross that bridge because there were so many people there it was like a nightclub!"

The tourist traps in Venice thing is real, we struck it in Rome a lot too - the piazzas are scenic and if you want to spend 8 euros on a pot of heineken you can get a wonderful view while you have a rest from walking around, but if you're after a good meal - walk a couple of "blocks" away down basically any side street and the food will be half the price and twice as good.

 

[drross]

found Rwanda excellent and the Atacama Desert and northern towns in Chile so interesting.. Panama was a bit worse than expected and don’t bother with Cuba for a few years

 

[Pushka]

We are visiting Saudi Arabia - Jeddah - on a cruise stop next May. Off the beaten track but can't imagine it will capture us. Well, I hope not! And two stops in Oman too! Muscat and Salalah! Last time we were in Muscat 30 years ago it was a refueling stop, we weren't allowed to leave the plane and there were armed troops around the plane. The visa for Saudi Arabia was over $200 per person! Includes medical insurance. That must stop.

 

[drross]

We are visiting Saudi Arabia - Jeddah - on a cruise stop next May. Off the beaten track but can't imagine it will capture us. Well, I hope not!

We cruised into 2 ports in Oman a couple of years ago. Interesting was indeed he best word to describe both!

 

[Pushka]

We cruised into 2 ports in Oman a couple of years ago. Interesting was indeed he best word to describe both!

Let me guess. Muscat and Salalah. As are we. Hear the harbour in Muscat is lovely and it has the oldest Bazaar in the world. Shopping!

 

[drross]

Let me guess. Muscat and Salalah. As are we. Hear the harbour in Muscat is lovely and it has the oldest Bazaar in the world. Shopping!

Yes and unfortunately the bazaar wasn’t included in any day trips bizarrely The Sultan’s private boat was the only other ship in Muscat harbour! Must see if I can find a photo or two

 

[drross]

His little day boat

 

[p--and--t]

and don’t bother with Cuba for a few years

Would be interested in what is behind this comment?

The half dozen or so couples I have spoken to that have visited in the last 5 years have raved about a must go destination.

 

[jrfsp]

found Rwanda excellent and the Atacama Desert and northern towns in Chile so interesting.. Panama was a bit worse than expected and don’t bother with Cuba for a few years

Just back from a fantastic trip to Cuba, didnt see any issue, i went now before it gets overrun with american tourists

 

[Pushka]

Yes and unfortunately the bazaar wasn’t included in any day trips bizarrely The Sultan’s private boat was the only other ship in Muscat harbour! Must see if I can find a photo or two

We plan on taking a dhow cruise for four hours leaving several hours for shopping. Some nice excursions in Muscat. Several to the bazaar but it's walkable from the ship anyway.

 

[drross]

We found Cuba to be very underwhelming. Did a cycling tour to some of the historic sites (Che’s headquarters during the revolution , local cigar factories etc) that was interesting but unfortunately we had to avail ourselves of their medical facilities and they were primitive and straight out of the 1950s. Havana was a disappointment..we arrived after a couple of the first American cruise boats had been in port and the had drunk Havana out of beer! The locals in the rural areas were wonderful when they found out we weren’t American but in the cities everyone was out for a quick buck including the ‘offical guides’ etc. Food was okay especially if you liked rice dishes but we were disappointed that there wasn’t much fresh seafood in Havana. This was early 2016 so hopefully things have changed

 

[justin23]

I think my travel style would be described as mostly going to emerging tourist destinations...
Even in europe you can go to countries that are best described as emerging.

The Central Asian stans, when I went in 2012 were a pain and needed visas for all of them. Now they are visa free and Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are outstanding places to visit.
While we are on old soviet countries, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are pretty easy to get to from Australia via the middle east and also well worth it and not too difficult to visit.

I recently was in Latin america for the 6th time... Outside the popular sites like Macchu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, theres so much to see and do there that will be relatively uncrowded.

Sri Lanka is probably another not really on the tourist map yet, but is becoming more popular.
Ethiopia has everything to be a tourism hotspot.... shame the politics in the region have flared up again.

I did Cuba in 2016 as well and found it great outside Havana, staying with the locals in Casa Particulares. You aren't going to get amazing food here you'll remember for ever, but i ate a lot of nice homestyle meals and never went hungry. I'm also able speak a fair bit in spanish, which IMO made Cuba so much better for me. Vinales was my favourite place there.

On my todo list Oman, Ecuador, Colombia, Laos, Albania, Gabon.

 

[drross]

I think my travel style would be described as mostly going to emerging tourist destinations...
Even in europe you can go to countries that are best described as emerging.

The Central Asian stans, when I went in 2012 were a pain and needed visas for all of them. Now they are visa free and Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are outstanding places to visit.
While we are on old soviet countries, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are pretty easy to get to from Australia via the middle east and also well worth it and not too difficult to visit.

I recently was in Latin america for the 6th time... Outside the popular sites like Macchu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, theres so much to see and do there that will be relatively uncrowded.

Sri Lanka is probably another not really on the tourist map yet, but is becoming more popular.
Ethiopia has everything to be a tourism hotspot.... shame the politics in the region have flared up again.

I did Cuba in 2016 as well and found it great outside Havana, staying with the locals in Casa Particulares. You aren't going to get amazing food here you'll remember for ever, but i ate a lot of nice homestyle meals and never went hungry. I'm also able speak a fair bit in spanish, which IMO made Cuba so much better for me. Vinales was my favourite place there.

On my todo list Oman, Ecuador, Colombia, Laos, Albania, Gabon.

You’ll love Ecuador. We found it and the people so interesting.

 

[Lynda2475]

Certainly not my experience with Cuba when I went in 2015 - virtually no Americans since they need to do cultural tours, usually its Canadians (the most visitors of any nation) swamping the beach resorts.

Food in state run restaurants can be bland, but food served at Casa Particularis (B&Bs we stayed in outside Havana) that offer guests breakfast and dinner, on farm visits and in living room restaurants were delicious.

I had $8 Lobster 5 out of 8 nights, also prawns and fish were plentiful. Other meals were pork, steak or chicken. So much fresh fruit and salads and $3 Mojitos or coughtails at the open air night clubs with live music in the smaller towns.

Cant say I saw one pan handler anywhere, not even in Havana.

I also loved Vinales, host was awesome made so much delicious food and we made an effort to converse in Spanish (she had no english) we were shown nothing but love.

 

[justin23]

swamping the beach resorts.

Definitely avoid beach resots in cuba and also big hotels IMO.

Food in state run restaurants can be bland, but food served at Casa Particularis (B&Bs we stayed in outside Havana) that offer guests breakfast and dinner, on farm visits and in living room restaurants were delicious.

That was my experience. Breakfast was usually included and dinner i think was often CUC10 ($US10) and was plentiful, often with dessert. I was never hungry and rarely had anything i didn't like.

I also loved Vinales, host was awesome made so much delicious food and we made an effort to converse in Spanish (she had no english) we were shown nothing but love.

My host grew his own coffee beans and roasted them in Vinales. He was such a proud person, proud of his country and so happy people came to stay with him and his family. I was invited in to watch the Cuban baseball finals one night and even given whisky which is the height of hospitality when its not rum. I'm a rum drinker though and loved the $2 for rum and cola just about everywhere i went!

Cuba is definitely a place though that isn't easy to get the most out of it. Many places just turning up and you'll have a great time. Cuba needed a bit more effort to get the most out of it IMO.

 

[Lynda2475]

Definitely avoid beach resots in cuba and also big hotels IMO.

We did, except for hotel in Havana everywhere was all Casa Particulares.

Air Cubana flight back to Cancun was delayed 12 hours, I made friends with some kiwis who were playing "April Sun in Cuba" on acoustic guitar, while we sat on the floor of terminal (no lounges), and the bar and convenience store only opened sporadically.

The country I wont go back to and thought needed the most guidance wrt tourism was Bolivia. Food was blandest in all of Latin America, accommodation poor standard, stunning landscapes marred by rubbish dumping - need lessons from their neighbours in Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador on how to do things right.

 

[p--and--t]

Have booked small group tour (will run with only 2 participants) of Cuba in 2024. All Casa Particulares accommodation. Looking forward to it.

 

[drron]

We also went to Cuba in 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were on a cruise ship but an Italian line and only 58 passengers. unfortunately 40 of them were on a Captain's Choice tour and their tour leaders tried to exclude us everywhere. but that backfired as I lead the 18 "outcasts' nin a rebellion so that we were then given our own tour guide from the Expedition Staff from Belgium who when not working on cruise ships lived in Ecuador and led small group tours to Cuba. He was fluent in Spanish so we got to talk to a lot of ordinary Cubans.

But an enduring memory is wandering Havana streets with a group of strolling minstrels singing Waltzing Matilda.

 

[jase05]

We are visiting Saudi Arabia - Jeddah - on a cruise stop next May. Off the beaten track but can't imagine it will capture us. Well, I hope not! And two stops in Oman too! Muscat and Salalah! Last time we were in Muscat 30 years ago it was a refueling stop, we weren't allowed to leave the plane and there were armed troops around the plane. The visa for Saudi Arabia was over $200 per person! Includes medical insurance. That must stop.

We have been to Oman a couple of times now thanks to some great fares on their excellent airline and although only a couple of days stop over the first time we went back for 10 days last time and absolutely loved it. We have been lucky enough to travel a bit through the ME and Saudi Arabia was one that we were very hesitant about travelling too and whilst I admit we weren’t a fan of Riyadh but we did enjoy Jeddah and getting out into the empty quarter and Al-Ahsa Oasis.
Overall we had a good time and I’d love to return for longer next time