10 Up-and-Coming Destinations You Need to Visit in 2017

Dubbed the next Dubai or Abu Dhabi, Oman is quietly developing its tourism industry with new luxury hotels, resorts, and a theme park, while also adding more flights into the country. Tour companies are taking note, too, with many now offering organized trips to the country.

Situated below Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Oman's coastline follows the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Oman. Its port capital, Muscat, has ocean resorts as well as history and architectural marvels to explore, while areas like Salalah offer remote resorts, Arabian Sea beaches, and seasonal waterfalls.

South Africa is one of the best up-and-coming destination in 2017 due to its abundance of hotel openings and new organized tour offerings. Squaremouth named South Africa one of the top fastest-growing international destinations for U.S. travelers, and top cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg are becoming more affordable in terms of airfare and nightly hotel rates in comparison to past years.

Kanazawa, Japan, makes our list of top up-and-coming destinations in 2017 because of its tourism growth after the new bullet train service from Tokyo launched in 2015. Named "Little Kyoto," this city on the rise is extremely accessible, affordable, and offers a variety of undiscovered cultural and outdoor activities (think mountains and beaches).

Japan as a whole is making waves in the travel world this year. New flights from the U.S. to Tokyo and the decreasing value of the Yen combine to put Japan on the radar for many travelers this year.

Rwanda is a new destination for many major tour companies in 2017. After suffering a genocide that ended in 1994, the rebuilt Rwanda has slowly become a popular African tourist destination. With animal conservation tourism now a popular trend, Rwanda trips are a great way to participate in this form of tourism with activities like responsible gorilla trekking.

Nepal makes our up-and-coming destination list this year for its inexpensive cost and new tour offerings resulting from its continued recovery efforts after the 2015 earthquake. Volunteer tours are a great way to see Nepal while helping rebuild its infrastructure.

Relatively unknown to many U.S. travelers, the South Australian capital, Adelaide, makes our list of up-and-coming destinations in 2017. With many new hotel openings and a dramatic increase in flight searches, it may finally be time for Adelaide's world-renowned wine region, bustling downtown, and new Riverbank area to shine. The number of hotel rooms in the city have increased by more than 25 percent since 2010, and further infrastructure developments are in the works.

Texas has quietly been on the rise for some time now, earning it a spot on our up-and-coming list for 2017. The state hosted the Super Bowl this year, and its major cities—Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston—continue to host important music festivals, conferences, and top sporting events year after year.

While each Texas city has its own unique growth story, the overall trend across the state is that of new hotel openings and major infrastructure developments—like Dallas' new urban park, which is set to be 11 times the size of New York City's Central Park.

Cuban tourism isn't growing as fast as expected, and that's not exactly bad news for U.S. travelers because it means the newly accessible destination still offers cheap prices, great weather and beaches, and easy access via direct flights. While you still have to travel under one of the 12 legal qualifications, airlines are streamlining this process for travelers and many tour operators make it easy to get the necessary paperwork and visas. Make a special effort to visit the less discovered areas outside of Havana for genuine cultural experiences and unspoiled territory.

Finland marks its centennial in 2017 with plenty of events to celebrate all year long. Finland was also named one of the happiest countries of 2017, and it's one of the more affordable and least visited of the Scandinavian countries. A new stopover program also helps put Finland on our list for best up-and-coming destinations of 2017.

The seaside city of Helsinki offers plenty to do year-round, and this year it opens the island of Vallisaari to the public. Outside the capital, you can check out the country's national parks, watch for the Northern Lights, ski, or discover the sauna culture.

Easily accessible to most of the Northeast, the Catskills is a four-season destination that earns a spot on our up-and-coming destinations list for its burgeoning boutique hotel scene and new brewery and distillery openings.

Whether you're going to ski the mountains in the winter or fly fish in the spring and summer, the Catskills offer trendy hotels, farm-to-table restaurants, and unique events like an ice fishing derby and ramp picking.