It was a very busy travel year for me in 2019. I flew over 100K on Air Canada alone to reach Super Elite status and finally had the accumulated miles to make their Million Mile Club. Here are some of the highlights from the stories I wrote that resulted from all that time on the road.
The Hot Country of 2019
Belize’s popularity as a must-visit destination in Central America has been setting unprecedented records. What’s driving this Central American nation to trend so hot? Part of the answer is increased investment in tourism infrastructure projects and much better airlift from countries such as Canada. But most importantly Belize has some unique and enticing attributes. This former British crown colony (British Honduras) is the only English language speaking country in Central America. It’s a peaceful place without the violence that plagues Guatemala on its south and west border or Mexico on its north. It arguably offers the best diving in the world: the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is the globe’s second-largest barrier reef. Located in the Yucatán Peninsula, the first people to develop Belize were the Maya around 1500 B.C.E. and there are about a dozen major Mayan archaeological sites to explore today and many more not yet excavated from the jungle. As to specialty food, there are around eight to ten million cacao trees in Belize and their version of Mayan chocolate is heavenly.
Plenty of Booze and Brews to Drown Out Brexit Woes
Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but there has been a big boom in the number of breweries, wineries and distilleries in the UK in recent years. At last count the overall UK distillery tally was 361 with still more to come. Many offer visitor’s centres, distillery experiences, tours and tastings. The rise of craft breweries has fed the growth of the “Dining Pub” in the country. There are over 48,000 pubs operating in the UK and beer trails such as the Yorkshire Ale Trail and pub tours such as Drink London – Historic London Pub Walking Tour, are thriving. As to wine, there are now over 500 commercial vineyards in the UK (England and Wales) and some 165 wineries. The wine industry of Great Britain has called it a ‘seismic change’ with predicted major growth in rural employment, tourism and exports. Drink has become the hot trend for tourism in the UK.
Ontario Wineries and Distilleries Rise Up
Ontario is the largest wine grape producing province in Canada, with 17,000 acres of vines. Its Niagara Peninsula is the largest Canadian wine appellation encompassing more than 100 wineries. More and more of them offer a full experience for the tourist with on-site restaurants, such as The Restaurant at Redstone Winery in Beamsville and the highly esteemed restaurant at Pearl Morissette (named one of the top restaurants in Canada) and also a plethora of activities. Gretzky’s is part of a small but burgeoning distillery scene that also includes Niagara Falls Craft Distillers, Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers in Beamsville and Forty Creek Whisky in Grimsby. At Gretzky’s visitors can skate on the outdoor rink (which has a lucky Loonie buried beneath it by Gretzky at centre ice), and then relax at the outdoor Whisky Bar. There are several major festivals throughout the year starting in January with the Niagara Icewine Festival celebrating its 25th year in 2020.
The Tiniest Richest Country
Even on a non-descript day, Monaco has its wealth on full display. The second smallest country in the world by area, it’s also the most densely populated and the richest per capita. One in three of Monaco’s just under 39,000 inhabitants are millionaires. The Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix in May draws out high society in droves, but just about everyday tourists crowd the streets. The cruise ships that dock among the super yachts in its harbour disgorge thousands on a regular basis. Smaller in size than New York’s Central Park, it’s easy to see on foot – it takes about 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other along the waterfront. As can be expected there is lots of Michelin starred dining available – the favourite of my trip was the one-star Michelin Vistamar restaurant at Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo. The Chef Benoît Witz had a wonderful lightness to his dishes that used fresh, seasonal and local product.
Europe’s Least Visited Country
Moldova, Europe’s least visited and poorest country, has geared up to beckon tourists. This small landlocked country wedged in-between Ukraine on the north, south and east and Romania to the west, has a long history of wine making dating back to around 3000 BC. When they were part of the USSR, state produced wine emphasized quantity over quality – in 1982 they produced 12 million hectolitres of wine and every fourth bottle consumed in Russia was from Moldova. Today they have refocused on quality by establishing protected geographical indications (PGI) and replanting indigenous grape varieties. There are now 187 wineries of which 64 have registered for PGI wines. Highlights of winery visits include the underground galleries of the Mileştii Mici wine cellar, likely the longest in the world, which stretch for over 200 kilometres and those of Cricova where its impressive ‘underground city’ of over 70 kilometres of tunnels house 30 million litres of wine. Visitors take an electric train for a visit that goes as deep as 80 metres below ground. Castel Mimi has been listed among the top 14 most beautiful architectural masterpieces of the winemaking world by Vivino.
Game of Throngs
Croatia was my favourite of the countries I visited this year. While Dubrovnik suffers from over tourism, this walled port with a thousand-year-old heritage is still amazing to see. Its impressive 1.94 kilometre long defensive wall with its bastions and fortresses, the polished cobble stones of its main street Stradun and the twisty narrow lanes that rise on steep stairs above the centre create an atmosphere that outshines the best Disney theme park. And it is real. Split, Croatia’s second largest city, had equal appeal. Also a walled city, it had the remains of Diocletian’s Palace in its centre and every day in the former residential entrance, the Vestibule, klapa groups (the term for a capella singing groups in Croatia) sang their hearts out.
The 2020 Hot Spot
Japan is host to the summer Olympics this year. After the games in Tokyo, visitors might well want to flee the crowds, the cost and the heat of that city to one of the least explored regions of the country. Just 1.5% of the 31 million tourists who visited Japan in the last year went to Tohoku in the northeast. Yet it is an easy 90 minute bullet train ride away and has much to offer. There are hot springs to enjoy, samurai villages to visit, beaches to chill on and mountains to climb and also great local cuisine and drinks. Visitors can tour local wineries, sake producers, breweries and the Nikka Whisky Distillery, or take a “Tohoku Local Secrets” tour to izakaya bars and oyster farmers.