Imagine being surrounded by the soothing waters of a hidden hot spring, a vast mountainous region or boundless desert sands that won’t be filled with throngs of tourists.
Welcome to Hilton’s “Hidden Gems,” a new monthly series that will introduce travelers to under-the-radar locations and experiences across the globe and a selection of properties that will make these places easy to explore.
For an authentic taste of travel, Hilton will be curating a list of destinations — one place each month — where you can uncover something new, such as sampling local cuisines in a small town, learning how to make your favorite dessert at the place it was first created or diving into a thriving local arts and music scene you didn’t even know existed, until now.
These kinds of destinations are becoming increasingly popular among travelers looking to escape the growing trend of over-tourism as they seek to explore more of the world — whether it’s domestic or international exploration. The United Nations World Tourism Organization forecasts international tourism will rise to 1.4 billion arrivals by 2020, up sharply from 1.2 billion in 2016. Some of the most well-known cities in the U.S. are seeing record numbers of visitors. New York City, for example, welcomed an unprecedented 65.1 million tourists last year, up from 62.8 million in 2017, while Los Angeles reached a milestone of 50 million visitors, 1.5 million more than the previous year.
As people take more trips, we’re here to help them dig up and dust off the hidden gem destinations that offer rich and unique experiences just as enjoyable as, or even similar to, those in major tourist destinations. Our hope is that some of the places will be totally unfamiliar to you, while others you may meet with surprise (or even skepticism). That’s good since part of the point is to break boundaries and challenge your norm. If you keep an open mind, we think you’ll see the shine in the many hidden gems to come.
Read the first edition here.
