TWO Spanish towns have made it into the TripAdvisor global list of 'top emerging holiday destinations' for 2018, voted among a total of 44 from four continents.
Nerja (Málaga province), a coastal town near the Granada border which has lost none of its traditional Spanish charm, is number four in Europe and ninth worldwide, according to votes on the travellers' review site.
The provincial capital of Cádiz on the south coast, to the west of Gibraltar, has been chosen as eighth in Europe in the Travellers' Choice Emerging Destinations list, now in its sixth year.
'Emerging destinations' are worked out using an algorithm which measures positive reviews on accommodation, restaurants and general attractions, overall interest in searches and bookings, and how far these aspects have increased since the previous year.
Japan's Ishigaki Island (second photograph) is number one in the world for emerging destinations across the board, and the Polish port city of Gdansk – formerly known as 'Danzig' – is number one for Europe and fifth in the world.
Kapaa, Hawaii is the second-best emerging destination for 2018, followed by Nairobi (Kenya) and Halifax (Canada).
After Gdanks, the Costa Rica capital of San José is sixth worldwide, followed by the Latvian capital of Riga seventh and Rovinj (Croatia) eighth.
Along with Gdansk, Nerja (first photograph) and Cádiz, other top emerging destinations in Europe – along with the aforementioned Rovinj and Riga – are Catania (Italy), the Croatian capital of Zagreb, and the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.
