The hot list: Peru, Chicago and other destinations turning heads in 2023

It's odd to think a television show about a desperate fight to the death would make you want to visit a country, but that's just what Squid Game has done for South Korea. Along with dark film comedies like Parasite and the saccharine K-Pop tunes of BTS, the wave of recent South Korean cultural offerings has sparked a new interest in the country.

Caught up in the excitement, I'll soon be heading to South Korea myself - my first trip there, despite travelling in Asia dozens of times. With pandemic restrictions gone, 2023 is the country's year to shine and new direct flights to Seoul with Qantas suggest the airlines agree.

The capital will be a focus for many first-time visitors like me, a modern metropolis to rival Tokyo, featuring opulent palaces, art galleries and shopping districts. With more than 30 Michelin-starred restaurants plus street-food markets, I'm hoping you won't need to like kimchi (I don't) to find culinary delights for days in Seoul (complemented with a bit of soju).

Across South Korea, there's much more to explore: elegant Buddhist temples, remote monasteries and historic fortresses - all telling the story of the nation's long heritage. In the mountains, hiking trails await, while the volcanic landscape of Jeju Island promises a fascinating excursion.

An impressive and affordable transport system, including bullet trains, means it's possible to see a lot of the country in a short time - but I suspect there's no need to rush. My first trip will not be my last, as South Korea is one of those destinations where each season offers fresh experiences. english.visitkorea.or.kr

IN AUSTRALIA: You might not guess rural Queensland has the country's best regional gallery, but the Rockhampton Museum of Art, opened in early 2022, takes an innovative approach to displaying its impressive collection. And, with nearby caves, coast, and mountains, the state's beef capital is putting itself on the map! rmoa.com.au

See more great travel content at exploretravel.com.au

By Amy Cooper

There's a lot more to Edinburgh than a castle and cobbled streets. While you can always rely on the Scottish capital to deliver heritage vibes more quintessentially Scottish than tartan itself, the city is alive with reinvention right now.

Next year sees the final completion phase of St James Quarter, a massive urban development project that's given the city centre a 160,000sqm "lifestyle district" of shops, food, accommodation and entertainment, including the Scottish marketplace Bonnie & Wild, Edinburgh's first food hall. At the centre of it all, Scotland's first W Hotel will open mid-2023 in a striking structure inspired by unfurling ribbons.

Docklands neighbourhood Leith will cement its reputation as Scotland's coolest enclave next year when Port of Leith Distillery opens its doors on the waterfront. Purpose-built and five floors high, this whisky wonderland leads an Edinburgh distilling resurgence and will offer tours, tastings and a rooftop bar with intoxicating views across the Firth of Forth.

Edinburgh hosts no less than five major festivals in August alone - the famous Fringe Festival (the world's largest arts festival), plus the International Festival, Jazz and Blues Festival, Film Festival and Royal Military Tattoo. It's hard to find a greater concentration of creativity and hedonism in one compact, very walkable city.

From summer 2023, the transformed Scottish National Gallery will be showcasing the country's flagship art collection in reimagined roomier, lighter spaces after a five-year renovation.

The W is just one of a new wave of sexy hotels upping Edinburgh's luxe factor. The paint is barely dry on Gleneagles Townhouse - a hotel and members club with a quirky-aristocratic aesthetic, and to come next year are Red Carnation Hotel Collection's 100 Princes Street, right opposite Edinburgh Castle, and The Hoxton Edinburgh, in two rows of Georgian townhouses.

Sure, this grand old city has a storied past, but the near future is where you'll find the real fun. visitscotland.com

IN AUSTRALIA: To voyage in the Kimberley is to take in stunning swathes of Australia's most pristine and magnificent coastline and next year, the newly refurbished three-masted luxury yacht Le Ponant launches its inaugural Kimberley expedition program from April 2023. If this is the year for your trip of a lifetime, step aboard. au.ponant.com

By Ute Junker

Ready for adventure? You are not alone. This year, many of us took our first trips overseas since COVID-19 lockdowns, often feeling a little nervous about heading back into the wider world. In 2023, we will be ready for something more. We want a destination that stimulates us, that excites us, that challenges us. We want Peru.

Few countries are as dazzling, and diverse, as Peru. It has magnificent landscapes, from the world's highest lake, Lake Titicaca, where people live on floating islands woven from reeds, to the Colca Canyon, twice as deep at the Grand Canyon. It has intriguing indigenous peoples, from the Machiguenga of the Amazon basin to the Quechua people of the Andes, known for their intricate textiles.

In Peru, you can choose between high-altitude trekking and seaside adventures along the 2000-plus kilometres of coastline. You can travel in the footsteps of vanished civilisations - not just the Incas, builders of the marvellous Machu Picchu, but also the Chimu, the Moche, the Nazca and many more.

And when you are ready to relax after all those adventures, there are plenty of creature comforts to enjoy. Some of South America's best hotels are found here, from boutique retreats in Cusco tucked into 16th-century buildings to the dramatic Tambo del Inka in the Sacred Valley. Lima also has the continent's most exciting food scene, where you can feast on traditional dishes such as ceviche and lomo or splash out with a meal at world-famous restaurants such as Central and Maido. peru.travel/en

IN AUSTRALIA: Indigenous tourism is no longer confined to our deep north. First Nations communities across the country now offer a range of experiences and many of them, including the tours at Australia's newest World Heritage site, Budj Bim in Victoria, are outstanding. budjbim.com.au

By Craig Tansley

Chicago's long been ignored in our race to New York. But though Qantas's plans to offer direct flights from Brisbane were scuttled by COVID-19 (they were scheduled for April 2020), Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is dropping heavy hints the service will go ahead by mid-2023.

Next year in Chicago promises to be a huge one: there'll be 70 music festivals and 40 film festivals, for starters. Between March and September, Chicago is due to host 200 festivals. This city's often maligned for its gangs and violence, but friendliness is Chicago's number one asset, it's in the Mid-West, after all, a part of America famous for its "niceness".

In Chicago you're still interesting enough just being Aussie to attract attention - and that sure doesn't happen in New York any more. And here's a city that lives to socialise, so prepare to make a lot of friends ("Are you from Ozzstraalia?"). Eating out is a way of life - there are more than 7000 restaurants at last count, and Chicago was recently named America's best food city, home to more of America's Top 50 rated restaurants than any other city (just don't fall into the tourist trap: no local eats deep-dish pizza).

Forget Boston, there's no city in the US more sports-mad; and its iconic Chicago Bulls (basketball) are set for their best year since the Michael Jordan era. Get ready to party! Consider that when its Chicago Cubs' baseball won the World Series in 2016, five million people came out to celebrate: the seventh largest gathering in human history.

Chicago is actually the city that never sleeps - there are 200 theatres and 250 live music venues. It's the home of blues. It's the home of live comedy. There are free music festivals every weekend through summer. Next year is going to be massive. choosechicago.com

IN AUSTRALIA: Like Chicago, Launceston has been long overlooked for a perennial favourite (Hobart). Expect it to come into its own in 2023. It's one of only two cities in Australia to be named a UNESCO City Of Gastronomy and Lonely Planet named it one of the world's top emerging destinations. discovertasmania.com.au

By Sarah Maguire

Paradise never goes out of fashion, but our need for a fix of it has rarely been greater. The Cook Islands was No. 1 on Lonely Planet's top countries to visit list in 2022 but it's in 2023 that Australians will have this glorious South Pacific destination on tap. As the tiny 15-island nation's next peak season rolls around in June, Jetstar will launch twice-weekly direct flights from Sydney to Rarotonga and return.

In less than seven hours and, at this point, for under $400 one way, Australians will be delivered direct to an Eden of tropical greens and endless shades of blue, ripe for exploring with new tours that aim to fully immerse and connect visitors with the stunning environment - especially the one that awaits beneath the turquoise surfaces of the Cook Islands' sublimely beautiful lagoons.

The tourism industry, which accounts for 70 per cent of the country's GDP, has emerged from pandemic lockdowns with a key focus on environmental sustainability - a check-list item for a growing number of travellers. From Rarotonga, those travellers can fly 45 minutes to the "eco-lovers' paradise" of Atiu, population 400, where a renovation of the Kia Orana Bungalows has expanded the island's limited accommodation options. Another 40-minute flight from Rarotonga is Aitutaki, which in September knocked Bora Bora off its perch to claim the World Travel Awards' Leading Island Destination in Oceania.

Back on the main island Rarotonga, where multinational chains are noticeably absent and boutique resorts and villas rule the day, dates for the diary include the Raro Fire and Food Festival (June 25-July 2) and Te Maeva Nui (July 29-August 4), an annual celebration of the islands' rich cultural heritage. cookislands.travel

IN AUSTRALIA: Murray River flooding has been merciless in 2022, but in 2023, tourism operators in recovery mode will be aiming to lure travellers back to explore the mightier-than-ever river - think multi-night paddlesteamer cruises and guided paddling tours - and the many offerings of the towns and villages along its length. visitthemurray.com.au

By Katrina Lobley

St Edward's Crown has already been yanked from the Tower of London's Jewel House to be resized for King Charles III's noggin. Yes, England is deep in preparations for the Coronation of His Majesty the King on May 6.

I'm no monarchist but, as the Queen's long farewell showed, England does pomp and circumstance rather well. It'd be quite something to see the King and the Queen Consort making their way to and from Westminster Abbey.

Royal observers will be keen to see how Charles puts his stamp on the occasion. Buckingham Palace has announced the Coronation, which will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, will "reflect the monarch's role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry". In 1953, a four-year-old Charles watched his mother arrive at the Abbey in a Cinderella-like gold carriage and head up the aisle in an ermine-trimmed, gold-embroidered Coronation robe of purple silk velvet.

Regal immersion is possible in other ways: from touring Buckingham Palace's State Rooms or swinging past the front gate to see the Changing the Guard ceremony to taking afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason's Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon (opened by the Queen in 2012) in Piccadilly or partying like Princess Margaret at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho.

Partying is also on the cards in fun-loving Liverpool. On May 13, a week after the Coronation, it will host the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of last year's winner, Ukraine. Enthusiasts can come together at M&S Bank Arena - next to the River Mersey and near those larger-than-life bronze statues of the city's favourite sons, The Beatles. visitbritain.com

IN AUSTRALIA: I was born on Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi Country so I'm looking forward to returning to the Sunshine Coast to experience Saltwater Eco Tours' cultural or native bushfood and seafood cruise. Maybe I'll do both! saltwaterecotours.com.au