From a Polynesian island ringed by blue lagoons to the heart of Chile's wine country, these are BBC journalists' top destinations this year.

We love Dubrovnik – but so does everyone else. Yet, many visitors to Croatia may not know that nearby Montenegro is also home to beautiful seaside settlements, plus new hiking trails that connect mountain communities. Across the water from always-trendy Buenos Aires, Montevideo offers similar world-class tango, steaks and architecture, and is one of South America's greenest cities. And while Rome may be eternal, Algeria's got the ancient ruins without the crowds.

In this year's guide to the best places to travel, we're highlighting destinations that offer incredible experiences while using tourism to support local communities, protect the environment and preserve their unique cultural heritage. To compile our list, we tapped BBC staff, our trusted journalists and some of the world's leading sustainable travel authorities to identify places that are enthusiastically welcoming visitors – and where your trip can have a positive impact.

Keep reading: your next great adventure awaits.

Why go: A blockbuster year of cultural openings – plus new theme park excitement

A sense of anticipation is hanging in the desert air. After years of development, the city's Saadiyat Cultural District – a project first signalled by the opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017 – is finally entering its defining phase.

The world's largest digital art museum, TeamLab Phenomena, recently opened, followed by the landmark Zayed National Museum, where visitors can see what the collated dreams of the nation looked like before it struck rich with oil. Pearl diving wasn't invented in the Emirates, but it has a huge story to tell, as does the influence of Islam, the spread of Arabic and the vision of the country's founding father: the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Equally new amid the museum scrum is Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, which rises above the Arabian Gulf as a succession of giant sugar cubes and is inspired by the region's geology. And then there's the much-talked-about, much-delayed, largest-ever Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Expect the cavernous modern art gallery in late 2026 or even beyond that. (Just don't mention the projected US$1bn/£751m cost.)

Beyond culture, Abu Dhabi is doubling down on theme park tourism. Yas Island's vast entertainment zone is expanding, with Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi adding a Harry Potter extension and Yas Waterworld building an additional mega-zone of slides and rides. Plans are also progressing for the Middle East's first Disneyland, set to break ground on Yas in the coming years. It's all an ambitious experiment that's a long way from the yards and sand forts that once defined the city. – Mike MacEacheran

Why go: Roman ruins, rolling dunes and cultural preservation

Home to grand Roman ruins, surreal desertscapes and historic cities with a mesmerising mash-up of architectural styles, Algeria's rich tourism draws have long been kept at arm's length by the nation's famously complicated visa system. But the "sleeping beauty" of African tourism is finally waking up.

Algeria has been putting in the legwork to reach its goal of boosting international visitor numbers to 12 million per year by 2030. Recent developments include the introduction of a visa-on-arrival policy for travellers on organised tours, the launch of new airline Air Algérie subsidiary Domestic Airlines in August 2025, and a government commitment to step up the protection and preservation of its cultural heritage, including training and support for the nation's 460,000 handicrafts artisans.

New tours launched by a number of major operators are also making it easier to visit in 2026. Most visitors begin in the seaside capital of Algiers, a former Phoenician outpost layered with the influences of its successive rulers. Preserving the relics of three millennia of occupation, Unesco World Heritage-listed Constantine is another urban highlight. Nearby are the sprawling, well-preserved Roman ruins at Timgad as well as those of Djémila, both with zero crowds to contend with. And the rolling dunes of the Algerian Sahara stretch for hundreds of miles beyond, with the oasis city of Djanet serving as a hub for desert exploration. – Sarah Reid

Why go: Wine, cowboys and stargazing

Two hours south of Santiago, Chile's Colchagua Valley stretches from the snow-dusted Andes along the Argentine border to the Pacific, following the corridor carved by the Tinguiririca River. While many travellers merely touch down in Santiago en route to Patagonia or the Atacama, heading south from the capital on a multi-day road trip reveals historic haciendas, scenic hikes and the heartland of Chile's skyrocketing international wine scene.

Long before Vik – the nearby luxury vineyard-hotel in Cachapoal – was named the best winery in the world for 2025, established Colchagua estates like Viu Manent, Los Vascos, Casa Silva and MontGras were drawing visitors for leisurely tastings. The Colchagua's culinary culture takes centre stage at places like Fuegos de Apalta, Francis Mallmann's airy, sunny temple to fire-roasted dishes in the midst of the Montes Winery's vineyards.

Travellers can sleep among the vines, too. Clos Apalta, the esteemed Lapostolle winemaking family's architecturally striking property, features 10 modern villas that protrude from a mountainside and seem to float over heritage Carménère, Cabernet and Syrah vine-covered slopes.

Wine aside, there's plenty to see and do in Chile's cowboy heartland, from rodeos to stargazing (including at the Cerro Chaman Observatory). Villages such as Santa Cruz and Lolol are home to lively markets and Spanish colonial-era adobe manor houses.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Chile's original Wine Route, a circuit that still showcases the region's world-class food, wine and a culture that invites visitors to kick back, soak up the sun and stay a little longer. – Alexandra Marvar

Why go: New access to a paradisiacal Polynesian nation

Cook Islanders like to be visited – they're the extroverts of the South Pacific, after all. Yet, tourist numbers are low by comparison to other Polynesian destinations like Fiji, so you feel like you're a welcome visitor in their world, not a tourist in a resort.

Rarotonga, the largest and most populous island, is just 67 sq km, but everything great about the South Pacific is packed into it: triangular peaks reminiscent of Tahiti, a wild hinterland ringed by a blue-water lagoon and a proud Polynesian culture. Beyond Rarotonga – aside from honeymoon favourite Aitutaki – are 13 islands you can experience almost entirely for yourselves.

A new wave of barefoot luxury stays is transforming the islands and 2026 will see a major step up in cultural and environmental preservation. Custodians of Marae Moana – one of the world's largest marine parks – are strengthening protections for its most significant sites. In Aitutaki, three motu (islets) in its pristine triangular lagoon now have special status. The government has also delayed deep-sea mining research until at least 2032. On land, Rarotonga's sacred Maungaroa Valley – currently on Unesco's Tentative List – teems with rivers and tropical rainforests that have never been developed.

And it's never been easier to reach the Pacific's most perfect little paradise. Hawaiian Airlines upgraded its Honolulu-Rarotonga route in June 2025 with more convenient daytime departures and new US connections via Alaska Airlines. Jetstar will launch the first direct Brisbane-Rarotonga flights in May 2026. – Craig Tansley

Why go: One of the planet's richest biodiversity hotspots is on the cusp of big change

Costa Rica goes greener

"With its white-sand beaches, misty volcanic peaks, tropical rainforests and rich pre-Colombian and colonial history, Costa Rica offers travelers a range of attractions. As the first tropical country to reverse deforestation, the country boasts nearly 60% of forest cover and a quarter of its territory legally protected. The National Decarbonization Plan aims for carbon neutrality by 2050."

– Jeff Greenwald, Ethical Traveler

Travellers who make it to this pint-sized Central American nation will find a rare convergence of wilderness and wellness. Rainforest spills onto empty beaches, macaws wheel over turquoise coves and the Pacific pounds a coastline that holds 2.5% of the world's known terrestrial species within a single peninsula. You'll wake to the sound of howler monkeys, paddle through mangrove estuaries alive with bioluminescence or ride world-class breaks and practice guided breath work, meditation or yoga before hiking into the depths of Corcovado National Park.

Direct flights from capital San José to nearby Puerto Jiménez make this remote corner easier to reach, just as conservation milestones are gathering pace. In 2026, local NGOs and national partners plan to expand protected areas on both land and sea – strengthening jaguar corridors in the rainforest and boosting protections for migratory sharks offshore. Community-run surf schools, holistic retreats and eco-lodges are leaning into this moment, offering a blend of adventure, wellness and regenerative travel. Sustainability-forward Lamangata Surf Resort powers itself with solar energy and recycles wastewater, while Blue Osa Yoga Retreat runs a Save the Sea Turtles programme in partnership with nonprofit Osa Conservation.

The Osa Peninsula invites travellers to slow down and connect with the ocean’s elemental pull while helping protect it. In a world of overtourism, this wild coast proves that luxury and sustainability can share the same wave. –

© BBC