The “Hot List” of World’s 10 Top Countries: You'll Never Guess Who's the Winner...

  • Call it the "Frozen” effect. Suddenly travelers are flocking to Norway in droves — with a 54 percent increase over last year. “We have never seen this phenomenon before,” Hege Vibeke Barnes, director of the New York office for Innovation Norway (the country’s marketing arm) told Yahoo Travel.
    1/10

    Call it the "Frozen” effect. Suddenly travelers are flocking to Norway in droves — with a 54 percent increase over last year. “We have never seen this phenomenon before,” Hege Vibeke Barnes, director of the New York office for Innovation Norway (the country’s marketing arm) told Yahoo Travel.

    Call it the "Frozen” effect. Suddenly travelers are flocking to Norway in droves — with a 54 percent increase over last year. “We have never seen this phenomenon before,” Hege Vibeke Barnes, director of the New York office for Innovation Norway (the country’s marketing arm) told Yahoo Travel.
  • Bouncing back from a six-year recession, Greece is experiencing record numbers of visitors, not to mention a flurry of new hotels and renovations to existing ones, plus a 57 percent spike in spending, according to Virtuoso.
    2/10

    Bouncing back from a six-year recession, Greece is experiencing record numbers of visitors, not to mention a flurry of new hotels and renovations to existing ones, plus a 57 percent spike in spending, according to Virtuoso.

    Bouncing back from a six-year recession, Greece is experiencing record numbers of visitors, not to mention a flurry of new hotels and renovations to existing ones, plus a 57 percent spike in spending, according to Virtuoso.
  • A new international airport in Quito, $600 million in tourism investment, and heightened interest in destinations like the Galapagos: it’s no wonder Ecuador was named one of the top destinations for 2014 by both CNN and The New York Times and places Number 8 on the list.
    3/10

    A new international airport in Quito, $600 million in tourism investment, and heightened interest in destinations like the Galapagos: it’s no wonder Ecuador was named one of the top destinations for 2014 by both CNN and The New York Times and places Number 8 on the list.

    A new international airport in Quito, $600 million in tourism investment, and heightened interest in destinations like the Galapagos: it’s no wonder Ecuador was named one of the top destinations for 2014 by both CNN and The New York Times and places Number 8 on the list.
  • “There’s nothing like Australia” is Tourism Australia’s slogan, describing this vast country that’s home to multiple World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, and world-class cities like Sydney and Melbourne. And apparently it’s paying off with the Number 7 spot on this list, thanks to a 58 percent increase.
    4/10

    “There’s nothing like Australia” is Tourism Australia’s slogan, describing this vast country that’s home to multiple World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, and world-class cities like Sydney and Melbourne. And apparently it’s paying off with the Number 7 spot on this list, thanks to a 58 percent increase.

    “There’s nothing like Australia” is Tourism Australia’s slogan, describing this vast country that’s home to multiple World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, and world-class cities like Sydney and Melbourne. And apparently it’s paying off with the Number 7 spot on this list, thanks to a 58 percent increase.
  • From Dubrovnik to the Dalmation coast, this eastern European country has seen record tourism in recent years. Add to that strong exchange rates for travelers, due to the local currency, the kuna, and you’ve got Number 6 on the list.
    5/10

    From Dubrovnik to the Dalmation coast, this eastern European country has seen record tourism in recent years. Add to that strong exchange rates for travelers, due to the local currency, the kuna, and you’ve got Number 6 on the list.

    From Dubrovnik to the Dalmation coast, this eastern European country has seen record tourism in recent years. Add to that strong exchange rates for travelers, due to the local currency, the kuna, and you’ve got Number 6 on the list.
  • Hong Kong just doesn’t stop. Last year saw the opening of a $1.2 billion cruise terminal designed by Norman Foster. Hotel rooms are predicted to increase from 70,000 last year to 84,000 in 2017. And this year saw a 72 percent increase in spending —garnering the Asian powerhouse the Number 5 spot on this list.
    6/10

    Hong Kong just doesn’t stop. Last year saw the opening of a $1.2 billion cruise terminal designed by Norman Foster. Hotel rooms are predicted to increase from 70,000 last year to 84,000 in 2017. And this year saw a 72 percent increase in spending —garnering the Asian powerhouse the Number 5 spot on this list.

    Hong Kong just doesn’t stop. Last year saw the opening of a $1.2 billion cruise terminal designed by Norman Foster. Hotel rooms are predicted to increase from 70,000 last year to 84,000 in 2017. And this year saw a 72 percent increase in spending —garnering the Asian powerhouse the Number 5 spot on this list.
  • With Budapest leading the tourism charge and record numbers of cruise passengers floating down its rivers, not to mention an easy-on-the-wallet economy, Hungary comes in at Number 4.
    7/10

    With Budapest leading the tourism charge and record numbers of cruise passengers floating down its rivers, not to mention an easy-on-the-wallet economy, Hungary comes in at Number 4.

    With Budapest leading the tourism charge and record numbers of cruise passengers floating down its rivers, not to mention an easy-on-the-wallet economy, Hungary comes in at Number 4.
  • It may be anchored by the idyllic island of Bali, but that’s not all there is to Indonesia — think up-and-coming islands such as Lombok, strong cultural tourism to Java’s temples, and a growing number of travelers seeking out the area’s amazing diving. It all adds up to 103 percent more spending.
    8/10

    It may be anchored by the idyllic island of Bali, but that’s not all there is to Indonesia — think up-and-coming islands such as Lombok, strong cultural tourism to Java’s temples, and a growing number of travelers seeking out the area’s amazing diving. It all adds up to 103 percent more spending.

    It may be anchored by the idyllic island of Bali, but that’s not all there is to Indonesia — think up-and-coming islands such as Lombok, strong cultural tourism to Java’s temples, and a growing number of travelers seeking out the area’s amazing diving. It all adds up to 103 percent more spending.
  • What doesn’t Chile have? The happening city of Santiago. Patagonia and its eco lodges. The Atacama Desert, with its amazing stargazing. Easter Island and its ancient moai statues. Skiing in (our) summer. A fast-growing wine industry. The longest coastline in the world. No wonder Chile placed Number 2 on the list.
    9/10

    What doesn’t Chile have? The happening city of Santiago. Patagonia and its eco lodges. The Atacama Desert, with its amazing stargazing. Easter Island and its ancient moai statues. Skiing in (our) summer. A fast-growing wine industry. The longest coastline in the world. No wonder Chile placed Number 2 on the list.

    What doesn’t Chile have? The happening city of Santiago. Patagonia and its eco lodges. The Atacama Desert, with its amazing stargazing. Easter Island and its ancient moai statues. Skiing in (our) summer. A fast-growing wine industry. The longest coastline in the world. No wonder Chile placed Number 2 on the list.
  • 10/10

    Far out-pacing the numbers of any other country on this list, with a staggering 196 percent increase in spending, New Zealand swept Virtuoso’s Hot List. And with the upcoming release of the latest installment of “The Hobbit,” expect “Middle Earth” to continue its global domination.

Call it the "Frozen” effect. Suddenly travelers are flocking to Norway in droves — with a 54 percent increase over last year. “We have never seen this phenomenon before,” Hege Vibeke Barnes, director of the New York office for Innovation Norway (the country’s marketing arm) told Yahoo Travel.
Bouncing back from a six-year recession, Greece is experiencing record numbers of visitors, not to mention a flurry of new hotels and renovations to existing ones, plus a 57 percent spike in spending, according to Virtuoso.
A new international airport in Quito, $600 million in tourism investment, and heightened interest in destinations like the Galapagos: it’s no wonder Ecuador was named one of the top destinations for 2014 by both CNN and The New York Times and places Number 8 on the list.
“There’s nothing like Australia” is Tourism Australia’s slogan, describing this vast country that’s home to multiple World Heritage sites, including the Great Barrier Reef, and world-class cities like Sydney and Melbourne. And apparently it’s paying off with the Number 7 spot on this list, thanks to a 58 percent increase.
From Dubrovnik to the Dalmation coast, this eastern European country has seen record tourism in recent years. Add to that strong exchange rates for travelers, due to the local currency, the kuna, and you’ve got Number 6 on the list.
Hong Kong just doesn’t stop. Last year saw the opening of a $1.2 billion cruise terminal designed by Norman Foster. Hotel rooms are predicted to increase from 70,000 last year to 84,000 in 2017. And this year saw a 72 percent increase in spending —garnering the Asian powerhouse the Number 5 spot on this list.
With Budapest leading the tourism charge and record numbers of cruise passengers floating down its rivers, not to mention an easy-on-the-wallet economy, Hungary comes in at Number 4.
It may be anchored by the idyllic island of Bali, but that’s not all there is to Indonesia — think up-and-coming islands such as Lombok, strong cultural tourism to Java’s temples, and a growing number of travelers seeking out the area’s amazing diving. It all adds up to 103 percent more spending.
What doesn’t Chile have? The happening city of Santiago. Patagonia and its eco lodges. The Atacama Desert, with its amazing stargazing. Easter Island and its ancient moai statues. Skiing in (our) summer. A fast-growing wine industry. The longest coastline in the world. No wonder Chile placed Number 2 on the list.
Laura Begley Bloom
·Editor-in-Chief

New Zealand is the hottest country in the world right now, according to Virtuoso — a network of luxury travel advisors and travel providers. Using data from its worldwide travel agency members, Virtuoso tracked the destinations experiencing the largest year-over-year growth, based on $32 billion in client transactions.

It’s no surprise that this Kiwi country topped Virtuoso’s Hot List, given its exposure in movies like “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” — and its untouched beauty. “There is a race towards trying to get to some of the more pristine places because of the rise in mass tourism and globalization,” said Virtuoso chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch.

Some other findings in the Virtuoso survey: international travel to countries outside the U.S. is up 21 percent compared to the same time last year. Travel to Europe has seen a 23 percent increase. On the other hand, Russia’s tourism industry is plummeting — down a whopping 69%.

Read on to get a peek at the top 10: