MADRID – American newspaper, The New York Times publishes in January each year, ‘The New York Times 52 Places to Go’ list. It details 52 destinations worldwide recommended by its editors as places you should visit. This year, it includes 2 Spanish destinations.
Due to the corona pandemic, the newspaper changed its approach. The list is now called ‘52 Places to Love in 2021‘. The destinations this time, were chosen by readers. Spanish destinations have featured in the list every year. Last year, three destinations were promoted: Asturias, the Balearic island of Menorca and Val d’Aran in the Catalan Pyrenees. A year earlier, the province of Cádiz was recommended. In 2018, Seville and the wine region of Ribera del Duero were in the spotlight.
Camino de Santiago
For 2021, readers of the American newspaper can choose the Camino de Santiago and the Andalucian city of Córdoba. This world-famous pilgrimage route, runs through the north of Spain and ends in the city of Santiago de Compostela. This year, it coincides with the celebration of the Holy Year. Such a celebration always attracts more pilgrims than usual. In the Holy Year 2016, 278,041 pilgrims walked the route. “An experience that is more about the self than a selfie” is the accompanying text by reader Sam Mixauch from Minnesota.
Andalucia and Córdoba
Often, Andalucia has reached the New York Times list. In 2019 it was the province of Cádiz. In 2018, it was the turn of the city of Seville and in 2017 Antequera was there. Reader, Fernando Moreno Reyes from Madrid writes that you can ‘touch history’ and that in Córdoba, there is a magical coexistence of Arab, Jewish and Christian culture. Additionally, the city has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other. Then there are the famous flower-decorated patios that can be visited during the Festival de Patios in the spring.
Different selection procedure due to corona
As a result of worldwide travel restrictions, the paper writes about its changed approach: “In 2021 we face uncertainty. With the recent availability of vaccines, the travel industry – which creates millions of jobs and is crucial to the global economy – may revive. But it’s hard to predict when and where that resurgence will begin. Publishing such a list could seem like the newspaper is pushing people to travel when so many people are suffering.” As a result, the editors decided to change the focus of the list and chose their readers as the source of information. “Rather than sending our co-workers and correspondents, we turned to another group of passionate travellers – our readers! We asked them about their favourite places, why they are worth visiting, and they should be included in our list”.
Over 2,000 readers responded. After making the selection, a group of journalists interviewed the participating readers. The final decision is a combination of the readers’ proposals and those conversations
