Article: The Joy of Visiting Emerging Tourist Destinations

[cgichard]

Apologies for breaking in with a non-Cuba-related post.

Is Georgia still considered to be 'emerging'? My vists were in 2011, 2015 and 2018 - all three times as part of a small tour group (being an older single female), the first and third with John Grahm Tours, which I can strongly recommend, and the second, more strenous, with Kudu Travel.

 

[mahooligan]

Namibia - just got back from a road trip through Namibia. Self drive is very easy, roads are excellent (mainly gravel), and food excellent. Also quite cheap to stay. Stunning scenery.

 

[Port Power]

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

Is the USA still insisting on a full visa if you have been to Cuba? That puts me off visiting a couple of countries and I need to transit USA a few times in the next two years.

 

[Port Power]

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

We also visited Oman by ship. Six of us booked a private tour with a local owner/operator. A fantastic tour and he also took us home to meet the family. Well, we met the children. His wife was “out”, but we think it was because men other than family were present.

I still have “The Five Stans” on my list to do, possibly in 2025 now.

 

[jrfsp]

Is the USA still insisting on a full visa if you have been to Cuba? That puts me off visiting a couple of countries and I need to transit USA a few times in the next two years.

Yes…

 

[Lynda2475]

Is the USA still insisting on a full visa if you have been to Cuba? That puts me off visiting a couple of countries and I need to transit USA a few times in the next two years.

You will need a visa to enter USA if you visted Cuba on or after January 12, 2021. Im very glad I went in 2015 as I am still eligible for a ESTA for USA which makes life simpler.

 

[p--and--t]

Is the USA still insisting on a full visa if you have been to Cuba? That puts me off visiting a couple of countries and I need to transit USA a few times in the next two years.

If you transit any US airport on your overall itinerary, there or back you need a visa and ESTA not acceptable. A tourist visa valid for three years available after 1:1 interview at embassy in AU.

I think we will just avoid US and their silly rules that change at a whim. Maybe go via Vancouver and come back via South America or Europe. Too early to book yet as more than 12 months away.

 

[Blackadder]

More off season than emerging travel, but personally well worth heading to places like Darwin etc during the wet season.
Takes a bit of flexibility if wanting to go out to the National Parks etc, but significantly lower prices and tourist numbers make it well worth it imo.

 

[henleybeach]

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.

The Sultan Qaboos mosque is very nice to visit if you get a chance!

 

[henleybeach]

We loved Azerbaijan, loved the old and new coming together. The Khizi region in northeastern Azerbaijan was stunning.
Uzbekistan was fantastic as was Almaty and would love to go back to all three!
This year we have Tunisia and Bahrain which i guess are less visited.

 

[antycbr]

Has anyone done East Timor? We were booked for Easter 2020… that went out the window…

Good accessibility on QF out of DRW.

 

[Kelstarama]

Madagascar is well worth a visit. My friends and I had a driver who was very knowledgeable and loved driving his 5 Aussie ladies around. It was a big change for him as it seems most tourists to Madagascar are French. So much unique wildlife, beautiful national parks, the food was good, the roads were terrible, the people were lovely, though if you don't speak French or have a guide who speaks English, communication could be challenging in some parts.

 

[Norlin52]

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.

 

[Norlin52]

We visited Cuba in 2019 (pre Covid) as a group of 4 for 2 weeks with a personalised tour organised by our travel agent and thoroughly enjoyed it. We visited Havana, Vinales, Trinidad and a beach resort on Cayo Santa Maria using local guides and drivers. I hope the tourism industry is recovering as so many people rely on it to boost their poor standard of living.

 

[wandering_fred]

Emerging tourist destinations? many now "unavailable" or greatly changed
The more mundane big cities omitted the favorite being Istanbul (2005)

Note I am and was a fan of (L/D)ONEx tickets especially when AA status accrued by mileage
With my most errant routing on the AA status chasing STL-SAN via NRT in 2010

Dec 1973 Chihuahua al Pacifico Chihuachua to Los Mochis including DMU from Presidio TX
Jun 1977 Tandem bicycle around England and across Ireland
Mar 1978 Iran including public "bus" from Isfahan to Shiraz
Dec 1980 up country day train trip from Goa (steam powered
Jan 1983 Lima Cuzco Peru Machu Pichu
train to Lake Titicaca (complete with a flat wheel)
ferry to La Paz Bolivia on to Rio de Janeiro and a direct flight to Capetown on SAA
Johannesburg, Harare Zimbabwe, Livingstone Zambia, Mt Kilimanjaro Tanzania
Oct 1983 Goldwing trip Amsterdam to Tromsø up via Sweden back via Norway
1988 Goldwing trip Saudi Arabia Dammam Abha Taif Riyadh Dammam
Jan 1990 Playa Flamingo, Costa Rico - car from San Jose
Nov 1997 Bangkok to Changmai by train
Apr 1999 San Juan and Ponce Puerto Rico
Oct 2003 China by train Lanzhou to Xining to Golmud then bus to Lhasa
private group in 4wd to Tibetan base camp Mt Everest and Nepali border
Nov 2005 Buenos Aires (including a soccer game) Cairo
Mar 2006 private driver and train in Sri Lanka - Horton Plains
Oct 2007 Surin and Hua Hin Thailand
Dec 2008 cheap hotel in Panama City to see the canal
Oct 2009 Muscat Oman
Aug 2010 ferry Buenos Aires to Colonia Uruguay
Dec 2010 train Bangkok Surin Thailand and car to Siem Reap Cambodia
Nov 2011 Toroko Gorge - Hualien Taipei
Oct 2012 Beijing with an added local tour guide program (Great Wall)
Aug 2013 Beechworth VIC "Kelly Country Pick"
Mar 2015 through the Chunnel (by bus) with a weekend in Lille France
Jan 2016 bus from JNB to Gaborone Botswana
Mar 2017 bus from CGK to Bogor for the gardens - local train back
Sri Lanka train for the day to Chilaw
Apr 2018 bus from Santiago to Mendoza Argentina
continuing to San Luis and Cordoba by bus fly to Buenos Aires
May 2018 enjoy a 3 day transit pass in Helsinki
Jan 2019 Maldives Dambulla, Sri Lanka (Sigiriya)
Train India Kochi Coimbatore Bengalaru flight to Chennai
May 2019 Yogjakarta Indonesia (Borobudur)
Oct 2019 drive through West Oz and Tasmania as a family tour guide
a prelude to Angkor Wat, Cambodia (big change from 2010)

How many did you have to look up?
May the list provoke your wandering
Fred

 

[Scarlett]

Tatra Mountains in Slovakia.
Bratislava was pretty good too, but being close to Vienna as well gives it the best of all worlds.

Self drive around Jordan.

Chill out on Niue.

 

[drcam]

I'll be visiting South Africa and then Israel/Jordan/Egypt in the northern summer, this is by far the most adventurous trip I'll be doing. Let's hope I don't get mugged/stabbed/murdered. Considering doing a few days in Namibia

 

[p--and--t]

I'll be visiting South Africa and then Israel/Jordan/Egypt in the northern summer, this is by far the most adventurous trip I'll be doing. Let's hope I don't get mugged/stabbed/murdered. Considering doing a few days in Namibia

As long as you are not venturing near the Angolan border and keep aware as you would in any country (including some suburbs in AU) Namibia is fine. Spent a few days there a few years back and loved it.

 

[Mattg]

I'll be visiting South Africa and then Israel/Jordan/Egypt in the northern summer, this is by far the most adventurous trip I'll be doing. Let's hope I don't get mugged/stabbed/murdered. Considering doing a few days in Namibia

I think a lot of people overestimate the danger involved in travelling to "less common" destinations such as these. Obviously it's worth taking sensible precautions but I'm sure you'll be just fine

 

[RooFlyer]

My absolute favourite trips have been to destinations you’d call emerging with respect to tourism. Iran, the five Stans, Lake Baikal in Siberia. Saudi Arabia many years ago ( a business driving tour all over).

A number of them have stopped emerging, unfortunately.