There’s endless travel advice out there, but a traveller-recommended list of the best countries in the world has gotta be a go-to for comprehensive holiday inspo. And excitingly, Condé Nast Traveller has just released exactly that, as the travel publication revealed the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards.
A whopping 526,518 people participated in the survey this year, but where did all those readers vote as the best country in the world?
Well, for 2024, the winning destination was (drum roll, please)... Japan! The island nation was recently named the fastest-growing destination among Gen Z travellers, so this news comes as no surprise. It’s a country known for its cherry blossoms, characteristic Shinto temples and futuristic cities – not to mention hot springs, mountains, beaches and thousands of islands.
The country has introduced some measures recently to better manage tourism, but don’t be discouraged – Japan will soon be launching a digital nomad visa, too.
Next on the list was Italy, and – come on – we aren’t shocked at all by that. Italy is full of dazzling cities like Milan, Rome and Florence – and then you have its beaches, islands and seemingly endless beautiful places around every corner. Much like Japan, Italy is making efforts to clamp down on overtourism. One particularly lovely initiative is this series of vintage train routes, which will transport tourists to some of the country’s lesser-known, rural destinations.
Europe dominates the list, with Greece and Ireland claiming third and fourth place, but eleven other destinations made the list of 19 too. Have a look below.
These are the best countries in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveller
- Japan
- Italy
- Greece
- Ireland
- New Zealand
- Spain
- Portugal
- Norway
- Switzerland
- Türkiye
- Australia
- Iceland
- Croatia
- Germany
- UK
- South Africa
- Austria
- Sri Lanka
- France
To read more about why each country was recognised at this year’s awards, you can have a look at the full list on Condé Nast Traveller’s webpage here.
And if you’re looking for even more travel inspiration, Time Out has conducted surveys into the best cities in the world as well as the coolest neighbourhoods.
Did you see that this surprising country is home to the best ski destination in Europe?
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