Beiruting News

New routes and old favourites dominate British Airways' eagerly awaited annual list of predictions for 2016 holiday hot-spots.

Top travel experts at British Airways have scoured the world looking for the latest hot-to-trot destinations for the year ahead for travellers from the Middle East and selected 10 of the top picks for 2016.

According to British Airways, interest in exotic Costa Rica is rocketing with wildlife galore for adventurers of all ages, eager to explore the country's rainforests and relax on its stunning beaches. Lima, in Peru is also attracting increasing numbers of discerning travellers, keen to walk the world-famous Inca Trail and see the stunning ruins of Machu Picchu. British Airways flights to both look set to open Central and South America to a whole new generation of travellers.

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil stays firmly on the map for leisure travellers, with the Olympics and Paralympics making it a must-see destination for 2016. Hi-tech, social media-savvy business travellers and California- dreaming holidaymakers are both set to find their way to San José, thanks to British Airways' new daily flights to the capital of Silicon Valley.

But popular European destinations mean British Airways customers in the Middle East don't need to fly far to enjoy fun in the sun on a different continent.

Paolo De Renzis, Head of Sales for the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia said: "Sifting through scores of destinations around the world to choose the 10 we believe will make brilliant business routes and unbeatable holiday destinations for British Airways customers is no easy task! Thanks to our extensive worldwide network we have top travel experts in almost every corner of globe, with unrivalled experience of the countries that we fly to. Our shortlist plays a part in the detailed planning for our new routes this year, which includes rugged Costa Rica, fascinating Lima in Peru and San José in California's heart of Silicon Valley.

"We think we have a brilliant mix of new and ever-popular destinations that we believe will be a hit for holidaymakers from the Middle East in 2016, whatever kind of break they're looking for and however big their budget."

Top long haul destinations in 2016 predicted for travellers from the Middle East include:

1- Lima, Peru

2- San José, Costa Rica

3- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

4- San José, California

5- Tampa, Florida

6- Salzburg, Austria

7- Reykjavik, Iceland

8- Valencia, Spain

9- Vienna, Austria

10- Krakow, Poland