How many of our 50 destinations for 2015 did you manage? It's not too late to squeeze in another trip before Christmas...
Great Barrier Reef
31 of 50
© Travis Rowan / Alamy
“People say to me, ‘What was the most magical thing you ever saw in your life?’ and I always say without a word of exaggeration, ‘The first time I was lucky enough to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef,” said naturalist David Attenborough of his trip to Australia to film the landmark BBC series Zoo Quest in 1957. He’s returning to the 1,600-mile coral necklace to shoot David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef for a 2015 release; it will document a vastly changed ecosystem than the one he fell in love with more than five decades ago. Rising ocean temperatures, numerous bleaching events, ocean acidification, and tourism have stressed the fragile habitat. The future is uncertain, creating an urgency for travelers to see it now—and with a light footprint. Looming is Aquis, a Chinese mogul’s controversial $8 billion proposal that would open in Cairns in 2018 with 7,500 rooms across eight hotels, a host of restaurants, multiple casinos, an aquarium, and a 23,000-square-foot convention center. It’s projected to draw an additional million travelers to northern Queensland annually (a 50 percent increase from 2013). The good news? Homegrown, environmentally conscious projects are embracing sustainability. The Greg Norman–backed Great Keppel Island Resort, with 250 rooms and 700 villas, is securing a 1,420-acre environmental protection precinct, including a research center, and installing 24,000 solar panels throughout the property. The goal: to be carbon positive. Lizard Island, a blessed speck of land in the Coral Sea, 120 miles off the coast of Cooktown, will reopen its namesake hotel in March after a yearlong restoration following Tropical Cyclone Ita. In addition to supporting the nearby Australian Museum’s research station, the hotel will offer nature programming certified by Ecotourism Australia. —Nathan Storey
