Detroit Named A Top Travel Destination In World

DETROIT, MI – The Motor City is the second-best city to visit in the world. Bet you didn’t expect to read that sentence today, did you?

Indeed, the Motor City has been named the second-best city to visit in 2018, behind Seville, Spain, by travel site Lonely Planet. Canberra, Australia, came in at No. 3, Hamburg, Germany, is No. 4, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, rounds out the Top 5.

Detroit, wrote the web site’s editors, “is rolling again. It’s like the whole place is caffeine-buzzed, freewheeling in ideas.”

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Those are certainly uplifting words, considering the reputation the city has had for crime and corruption. Just last month, FBI statistics painted the city as the worst in the nation for violent crime.

But Lonely Planet is giving a shout out to “young creative types” who are redeveloping “the crazy-huge slew of abandoned buildings into distilleries, bike shops and galleries.”

The editors also noted Detroit new arenas, the QLine streetcar system “that gives easy access to city hot spots,” and a new parks along the riverfront, “plus groovy hotels will emerge from an old wig shop and a forlorn parking lot.”

Lonely Travel recognized Chile as the No. 1 country to visit in 2018. Other countries to visit are South Korea, Portugal, Djibouti, and New Zealand. It also noted that among the best regions of the world, travelers should consider Alaska and the Southern United States. And, if travelers are looking for "best value" destinations, Arizona and the Jacksonville, Fla., areas rank among the Top 10.

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