Tripadvisor named Asheville, North Carolina, among the trending U.S. tourist destinations for 2022.
AP
North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s hottest travel destinations for 2022, a new report finds.
The mountain town of Asheville ranks No. 10 on a list of up-and-coming places to visit, according to rankings from Tripadivisor.
To come up with the list, the website studied travelers’ ratings and reviews to determine year-over-year growth. Using data from Nov. 1, 2020, to Oct. 31, 2021, Tripadvisor also considered restaurants, activities and places to stay in destinations around the world, according to findings published in January.
The results were divided into several lists, including the most trendy and popular locations as well as those that are best suited for people who enjoy big cities, sunshine, skiing, food and the outdoors.
Asheville only made the list of trending U.S. destinations, becoming the lone place in North Carolina to receive that recognition. Tripadvisor gave the tourist hotspot a nod for its food — and of course, its breweries.
“If you’re into eating locally and supporting sustainable agriculture, go to Asheville — and eat, eat, eat,” Tripadvisor said. “This town of less than 100,000 people has 17 farmers’ markets, and the local restaurant scene is all about taking advantage of the seasonal produce sold there.”
When you’re done eating, the travel website also recommends checking out waterfalls near the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic road that spans more than 400 miles through the mountains of Western North Carolina and Virginia.
It’s not the first time Asheville has received a top honor.
The city has also been named one of the nation’s best places for beer drinkers and is home to the state’s top-ranking bed and breakfast, McClatchy News reported in 2021.
But Asheville recently was snubbed in another ranking. Wilmington and Winston-Salem were the only North Carolina cities that earned spots on Southern Living’s list of regional locations that are “on the rise.”
This time around, Tripadvisor said the hottest travel destination in the country was the Big Island in Hawaii. Rounding out the top five were Charleston, South Carolina; Branson, Missouri; Moab, Utah; and Fort Myers Beach, Florida.
On a global scale, the top-ranking place was Majorca, an island off the coast of Spain.
This story was originally published February 1, 2022 11:19 AM.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article257918403.html