World famous travel operator Kuonio have named Vietnam as the eighth most luxurious destination in the world for 2020, ahead of traditional European powerhouses such as Greece and Spain.
A floating market in the Mekong Delta region (Photo: Getty Images)
The Maldives retains its place in first place, closely followed by fellow Indian Ocean archipelago Mauritius, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, respectively.
Elsewhere on the list, Bali in Indonesia has dropped to fifth place in the rankings despite the island being renowned as a world-class honeymoon destination.
The fall in rankings can be attributed to a series of devastating earthquakes which hit the islands of Lombok and Bali in August 2018 which resulted in visitor numbers to these places declining.
Italy is the only European country to be listed among the top 10 in sixth place, while the only other European countries to make the top 20 are Greece and Spain.
The results of Kuonio’s study indicate that the global tourism industry is seeing a growing demand for small group tours supported by professional guides, with this market growing by 10%, thus leading to the emergence of Vietnam as an increasingly popular location. The Southeast Asian nation even surpassed India to secure its spot at number eight on the list.