November had not even begun when the Travel team started the research to define the most promising destinations of 2017. Colombia soon appeared as a strong candidate - increasingly safe, strong food scene, natural and historical beauty, good hotels, and the success of the Narcos series. The list of 20 finalists was emailed to the jury(read below) and Colombia was the only one to get a unanimous vote (8 votes).
The last juror answered on November 11, long before the tragedy with the Chapecoense flight took place in Colombian territory. And the affection in Medellín only increased the desire to get to know this country that embraced Brazil.
Held since 2013, the vote with the destinations that promise to be highlighted in the following year published by Travel takes into account points such as market and consumer perception, events, political and economic situation and other variables. The jury's choice seeks to reflect as much as possible all these factors, with market experts and travelers, which is why this year we included an extra vote: yours. Four hundred and sixty readers voted in our poll.
There is no doubt that 2016 was difficult for everyone - including tourism. A year of division and uncertainty, reflected also in this list: Chicago and Portugal were tied for second place with 7 votes each, and Cuba came in third with 5 votes. The other six competitors were all tied for fourth place, with 4 votes each.
Another curious fact: half of the destinations that were among the ten most voted are Latin American (three of them are Brazilian). The data has a lot to do with the instability of the exchange rate and the economic crisis, which made Brazilians look more carefully at their vacation options - and realize that you don't have to go far to have fun.
KNOW WHO VOTED
This year, the initial list sent to our judges contained 20 destinations, pre-selected as potential itineraries for 2017. Our eight jurors, including the team of readers and the Travel team, each with a weight of one, voted for their ten favorites, justifying their votes and helping us with tips.
The Top 10 of 2017 you check out below, while the other 10 destinations are at the end of this special (in reduced size, but also with tips).