CNN Names 2014’s Best Must-Visit Destinations – Asia’s Japan and Myanmar Also Make the List

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Where to travel in 2014? CNN has selected 11 of the world’s best must-visit destinations for 2014, including countries in the Americas, East Africa, and Europe such as Brazil, East Africa, and Iceland. Among Asian destinations, Japan and Myanmar have also made the list. Japan was favored for factors such as its luxury Seven Stars JR sightseeing train and cultural festivals, while Myanmar earned a spot thanks to its growing tourism industry in recent years.


▲ Japan’s recently launched “Seven Stars in Kyushu” train allows passengers to explore seven prefectures including Kagoshima (top left image). (Photo / from Wikimedia Commons)

The newly launched Seven Stars in Kyushu train in October was one of the key factors that helped Japan make the list. This ultra-luxurious train with a “Japanese-style” ambiance, built at a cost of 3 billion yen (approximately NT$870 million), offers one of Japan’s top-tier travel experiences. The train is named the Seven Stars because the entire journey is connected to the number “7,” including traveling on a 7-car train, visiting 7 prefectures, and engaging with 7 tourism themes related to Japanese food and culture.

The Seven Stars train offers both a three-night, four-day itinerary and a two-night, one-day itinerary, priced at 380,000 to 950,000 yen (approximately NT$110,000 to 275,000) and 150,000 to 400,000 yen (approximately NT$43,000 to 116,000) respectively.

In addition, Myanmar’s tourism industry has been gradually rising along with its political opening. In recent years, it has been repeatedly ranked by CNN as one of the world’s best travel destinations. Famous attractions include Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda, the Golden Rock, and the Hpa-An pagodas. Even the former mansion where democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest has become a super-popular tourist spot.

%挠泻眉盖?昀?返拿宓檠龉獯蠼鹚隆（图／取自维基百科)

The 11 must-visit destinations that made the list are Brazil, the Panama Canal, and Ecuador and Costa Rica in Latin America; Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya in East Africa; Japan, Myanmar, and New Zealand in the Asia-Pacific region; and Iceland in Europe.