Lonely Planet, the world’s leading publisher of travel guides, has just published their 2017 report of their top 10 global budget travel recommendations for the upcoming year. Entitled “Best in Travel 2017 – Best Value, Travel bargains for the budget-conscious,” the report highlights a mix of both well-known and less famous cities and countries to visit, including Nepal, the city of Porto in Portugal, and the Central American nation of Belize.
Coming in at number six on their list, Belize was Lonely Planet’s highest-ranking destination in the Western Hemisphere, the other being the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States (ranked #10). Decrying misconceptions about the cost of vacationing in Belize, the Lonely Planet report highlighted the country as a top destination to dive or snorkel “as though you’re in the Caribbean,” perhaps somewhat confused about the fact that all the world-class sailing, fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling that draws in so many tourists to Belize every year actually does occur in the Caribbean Sea.
The Lonely Planet report also recommended combining offshore activities with mainland activities like visiting ancient Maya sites such as Caracol (misspelled “Caraco” in the original report) deep in the “wildlife-packed” jungle. One special highlight in the Lonely Planet report about about Belize was the quality and affordability of the street food scene, a key factor for travelers on a budget.
“We warmly welcome Lonely Planet’s recommendation to come visit Belize,” said Larry France, Marketing Manager of Chabil Mar in Placencia. “As one of the hottest travel destinations in the world, Belize is now garnering ever more attention from leading travel authorities and publications, and we look forward to introducing new visitors to this fabulous country.”
The Lonely Planet report contrasted the more upscale and luxurious options available at top tourist destinations in Belize like Ambergris Caye with more affordable and laid-back options in the country’s south, particularly the village of Hopkins and the Placencia Peninsula on the Caribbean coast.
By volume, Lonely Planet is the number one travel guide book publisher in the world. Founded in the 1970s by a married couple who loved to travel, their first publication was entitled “Across Asia on the Cheap” and was hand-printed. Originally focusing just on Asia, Lonely Planet soon rose to become one of the premiere publishers of guide books in the world, selling 30 million copies by 1999. Today, Lonely Planet is a division of NC2 Media and is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee.
For more information about visiting Belize or Placencia in 2017 , feel free to chat with our Concierge at: concierge@chabilmarvillas.com or contact our Reservations Manager at: reservations@chabilmarvillas.com. Or perhaps you would like to call toll free from the US or Canada: 1-866-417-2377.
