1. Sri Lanka

Best for: Culture, value for money and off the beaten track

Battered tragically by the tsunami and wracked by civil war from 1983 to 2009, lots of areas of Srilanka have remained off limits to even the most intrepid traveller. Now the bitter conflict is done and dusted, investment is fuelling the tourism sector, and visitor numbers are increasing.

2. Montenegro

Best for: Activities and adventure

Nature has been creative and prolific in Montenegro, producing enthralling draws like bewitching Bay of Kotor and the buzzy beaches along its Riviera.

3. Ecuador

Best for: Food and activities

Country’s railway network is scheduled to radically revamp this year with new lines linking increasingly cosmopolitan Quito and the coastal port of Guayaquil. The good thing is that tracks will also connect Ecuador’s famed 5900m-high volcano Cotopaxi and the Nariz del Diablo (Devil’s Nose), claiming the steepest stretch of railway in the western world. Developers is hoping that the gamble will pay off and pull in unprecedented tourist numbers.