Seven top underrated holiday destinations where you’re guaranteed a warm welcome
From Moldova’s wine country to Isaan in Thailand and the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung, the rewards for leaping off the beaten track are many
After another season of tourist gridlock at the world’s A-list sightseeing destinations, the search for alternatives is driving travellers ever further off the beaten track. Try Palawan if you think Boracay’s days are numbered, Flores instead of Bali and Xishuangbanna rather than Yangshuo.
But there is a sure-fire way to avoid the holiday honeypots and backpacker bottlenecks; seek out cities and towns overlooked by guidebooks and travel brochures – less fashionable spots that lack a portfolio of must-see attractions but are teeming with helpful locals who are delighted, if slightly puzzled, that you’ve chosen to visit their hometown.
Destined to play perennial bridesmaid, these underrated regions, forgotten countries and places without postcards are usually overshadowed by more famous rivals, but don’t let that put you off.
1. Isaan, Thailand
More than 32 million people visited Thailand in 2016. They flocked to Bangkok, baked on the beaches and descended on Chiang Mai in record numbers. Few made it to the northeastern region of Isaan, an agricultural backwater lacking a coastline, hill tribes or well-established tourism infrastructure.
Made up of 20 provinces, Isaan shares its culture, language and cuisine with neighbours Laos and Cambodia. Discover ancient Khmer temples at Buriram, hike in the mountainous national parks of Loei province and fill up on papaya salad and sticky rice; both dishes originated in this part of Thailand.