Explore further afield with these trendy travel destinations for 2022

Calling all travelers looking for new off-the-beaten-track travel experiences for 2022! The accommodation booking giant Booking.com has plenty of surprises in store with some truly out-of-this-world top trending destinations for the coming year.

Forget New York, Los Angeles and even Chicago, because Atlanta is the US destination that should be all the rage next year, when tourism enters a crucial year for its recovery. So predicts the accommodation reservation giant Booking.com, which has come up with eight ideas for getting off the beaten track in your 2022 getaways. With its list of "top trending" destinations for 2022, the platform highlights cities that are rarely considered stop-off points for vacations. Indeed, Atlanta hadn't really been in the spotlight since 1996, when the capital of Georgia hosted the Summer Olympics.

Outside the US, Booking.com has some hot tips for travel in Asia. While the hit show "Squid Game" is likely to drive many viewers to plan trips to South Korea, these top-trending destinations offer some alternative Asian escapades with a focus, in second place on the list, on Taiwan's second-largest city, Taichung. Located just over two hours' drive from the capital Taipei, the former village founded by Chinese settlers has grown to become a city of nearly three million people. Curious tourists can explore its historical temples and fascinating past.

Still not convinced? Then how about Brazil? But rather than São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro -- or even the Amazon rainforest -- Booking.com instead leads us towards the border with Uruguay, and to Gramado. "With charming boutique shops, restaurants that serve chocolate and fondue, and pedestrian crosswalks - Gramado feels like a quaint Swiss village in the heart of South America," explains Booking.com

As for France -- the world's top tourist destination before the covid crisis -- the city of Montpellier features at number seven on the list.

Eight top trending travel destinations to explore in 2022, according to Booking.com: 

1. Atlanta, USA
2. Taichung, Taiwan
3. Gramado, Brazil
4. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
5. Brasov, Romania
6. Llandudno, UK
7. Montpellier, France
8. Malacca, Malaysia

© Agence France-Presse