Muscat – One of the most sought after travel magazines in the world, Lonely Planet has published its annual Best in Travel 2022 list of the world’s hottest destinations. The travel guide has put Oman at seventh position among the top ten countries to visit in 2022.

Cook Islands – one of the world’s smallest countries – located between French Polynesia and American Samoa and comprising 15 islands, appears as the coveted No 1 country to seek out in 2022.

The travel guide ranks Norway, encompassing mountains, glaciers and deep coastal fjords, in second place. Mauritius, Belize and Slovenia make the top five.

Slovenia is followed by Anguilla, Oman, Nepal, Malawi and Egypt accounting for the top ten.

A CNN article on the Lonely Planet travel list described Oman saying, ‘Think Norway is the only place in the world with fjords? Think again. In Musandam, Oman, bordering the Strait of Hormuz, mountains reach heights of 2,000m to create a spectacular backdrop for narrow stretches of water. But that isn’t all that Oman has to offer. Within the same trip, you can also experience the Empty Quarter, an expanse of desert where Oman meets Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That’s four countries all at once – and you won’t need to pack a coat.’

Chosen for topicality and uni-que experiences, Lonely Planet‘s annual Best in Travel lists are based first on input from a vast web of contributors around the world and then whittled down by a panel of travel experts to ten countries, ten regions and ten cities.