Your 2015 travel bucket list!

There’s a whole lot of world out there to explore in 2015, with so many destinations worth visiting that it can be overwhelming to even think about where you should go next. 

No need to worry travellers as NewsMobile is here to guide the way. We have identified destination hat are sure to make headlines in 2015. Some will host major global events, while others will celebrate anniversaries, unveil new attractions or stand in Mother Nature’s spotlight.

Presenting to you our list of top destinations for 2015:

 
Downtown, Los Angeles

A decade ago, you’d have struggled to find life on the streets of downtown Los Angeles after the office lights went dim for the night.

But what was once the city’s dark center has rapidly transformed into one of its most exciting neighborhoods, with more than 500 shops, restaurants, bars and clubs opening their doors in the past five years alone.

Exciting new hotels like the Ace, stores like Acne Studios and food venues like the revamped Grand Central Market – in addition to the recently completed $3 billion sports and entertainment complex known as L.A. Live – have injected downtown with a jolt of energy that’s helped lure visitors and residents away from LA’s sunny perimeter and into its urban core.

The downtown scene is expected to heat up in 2015 when billionaire art collector Eli Broad’s $140 million vanity project, the Broad Museum, opens to the public in the fall.

The honeycomb-encased gallery has been heralded as the crowning jewel of downtown LA’s revival, and will house works by some of the most prominent artists of recent decades, including Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein and Cindy Sherman.

 
The Bahamian Riviera

Baha Mar has been rated one of the top destinations in the world to visit in 2015 by a popular travel publication ‘CNN Travel’, as a new resort making a huge impact on luxury travel in the region.

With four hotels, 200,000 square feet of convention space, a 2,000-seat performing arts center, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, 30 restaurants and bars, 14 distinct pools and a 100,000-square-foot casino large enough to rival any in Las Vegas or Macau, the $3.5 billion development known as Baha Mar is a big deal.

In fact, the so-called “Bahamian Riviera” is the largest single-phase luxury resort project in the history of the Caribbean and the most substantial currently in development in the Western Hemisphere.

Located along Nassau’s famed Cable Beach, Baha Mar is expected to send ripples across the Caribbean when it opens to the public in late spring 2015 with a grand gala produced by music and entertainment legends Jamie King and Emilio Estefan.

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands have never really had their moment in the spotlight, but a dance with darkness in 2015 may finally put the remote archipelago between Norway and Iceland on travelers’ radars.

This self-governing country within the Danish Realm is one of just two places in the world that will witness a total solar eclipse on March 20, 2015, when the moon passes between the earth and sun, plunging daylight into darkness.

Several travel agencies are already filling up tours and cruises to the storybook isles for this once in a lifetime astronomical event.

Singapore

Singapore has a reputation for being pretty and dull in equal measure.

However, the undeniably attractive isle of Singapore will be anything but boring in 2015 as it celebrates 50 years of independence with fireworks, parades, shows, youth rallies and a new walkway from the Civic District to Marina Bay.

Yet, Singapore’s Golden Jubilee isn’t the only reason to visit in 2015.

The long-awaited National Gallery will finally open to the public in November and join recently unveiled attractions like River Safari and the massive Singapore Sports Hub in diversifying the city’s offerings.

 
Mons, Belgium

Mons has a population of just 93,072 people, but the small city expects 2 million visitors to ply its medieval streets when it hosts more than 1,000 cultural and artistic events in 2015 as the offical European Capital of Culture.

Highlights of the yearlong celebration include an illuminating new Van Gogh exhibit, three multidisciplinary arts festivals, numerous public installations and art-infused parties.

Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania – or simply “Tassie” to the locals – has had its’ fair share of publicity these past couple of years, after Hobart was declared Lonely Planet’s best city to visit in 2014 and Australia’s only mention for best regions to visit in 2015. But it truly comes at no shock. Tasmania has the world’s cleanest air, friendly locals, and untouched wilderness, some of the world’s best hiking trails, fresh produce and so much more. If there’s one place you simply must visit in Oceania in 2015, it’s Tassie.

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Dubai may have exploded into a theme park of superlatives, but its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi has steered a different course in a multibillion-dollar bid to become the cultural capital of the Middle East.

At the heart of Abu Dhabi’s reinvention is the 24,000-square-meter Saadiyat Island Cultural District.

This intellectual playground is set to house the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2017, the Zayed National Museum in 2016 and, if all goes according to plan, the first Louvre Museum outside Paris by the end of next year.

Add to the mix a performing arts center designed by Zaha Hadid, and it’s clear that both the skyline and city below are about to get a lot more inspiring.

Morocco

Whether you’re hunting for magic carpets through the Souks in Marrakech or wondering the old streets of Fez, there’s so much to discover in Morocco. You want culture? tick. Experiences unlike anywhere else? tick. Friendly Moroccans? tick. Tourism in Morocco has sky rocketed in recent years, so be sure to jump on the bandwagon before it’s too late. Morocco is here to stay as one of the world’s most intriguing countries for travellers.