Many travelers are making New Year’s resolutions to find the hottest destination for 2015.

But what makes a destination “hot”?

Sometimes a big news event can focus attention on a destination that might otherwise have been
off the radar of travelers, said Dave Matthews, owner of Prime Tours in Dublin.

The announcement that the United States might relax sanctions on Cuba, possibly opening up more
tourism there in the near future, could well make the island nation a “hot” destination this year,
depending on how events unfold, Matthews said.

Members of the U.S. Tour Operators Association agree, naming Cuba to the organization’s list of
top emerging travel destinations in 2015 along with nations such as Croatia, Iceland and
Myanmar.

“If a despot sees the tourism ‘light’ and opens up a closed society to tourists, like in
Myanmar, it’s so hot,” Matthews said.

After years of isolation, the repressive Myanmar government has opened the door to tourism. More
than 2 million people visited the country in 2013, and tourism officials are hoping to raise that
number greatly.

Value, too, can make a destination popular.

Gabe Saglie, a senior editor at the online booking site Travelzoo, said the key is
competition.

Brazil will potentially be the best travel value in 2015 because of the tremendous number of
hotel rooms in the country, Saglie said.

The country hosted the soccer World Cup last year and will be the site of the 2016 Olympic
Games. That means many hotel operators might be slashing prices to fill rooms in 2015 between the
big events, Saglie said.

He expects Brazilian destinations to market heavily in the United States this year.

“Brazil had over 111,000 Americans travel to the World Cup, so they learned we’re a great
market,” Saglie said. “And 2015 will be a sweet spot, with all the infrastructure remaining from
the World Cup and new hotels opening before the Olympics.”

American Airlines and Azul Brazilian Airlines have also added flights from Florida airports to
Brazil, increasing competition and potentially lowering airfares, Saglie said.

Travelzoo research also indicates that competition could spin off good deals on Asian cruises in
2015, Saglie said.

“Two years ago, the big story in cruises was the Mediterranean; that brought Mediterranean
prices down in 2013. In 2014, it was great European river-cruise deals.

“I think in 2015 the cruise industry is eyeing Asia, where we’ll see the more aggressive deals
for the first time in a long time,” Saglie said.

China has spent big bucks upgrading the infrastructure of its ports, in part to lure
tourist-packed cruise ships, Saglie noted.

The Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal can handle the world’s largest cruise
ships, and Royal Caribbean has moved its new megaship, Quantum of the Seas, there. Other lines are
adding ships to Asia and itineraries such as Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South
Korea and other destinations.

With more competition to fill cabins, Asian cruises could be a deal this year, Travelzoo
says.

“These are the kind of destinations where visiting in other ways require more expense and
planning,” Saglie said. “An Asian cruise will allow you to visit a variety of exotic, unique
destinations at prices we haven’t seen in a while.”

Online travel company Priceline.com — which bases its “hot” list on advance hotel reservations —
has Puerto Rico at the top of its list of hot 2015 “international” travel destinations, although
the island is a U.S. territory that can be visited without a passport.

Travelzoo’s Saglie noted that several U.S. airlines have added flights to Puerto Rico from the
mainland, making fares to the island some of the lowest in the Caribbean.

“I think airlines will continue to add routes from the eastern U.S.,” he said. “Even in winter,
you’re finding fares from the Midwest under $200 each way. On the cruise side, you’ll probably see
great deals on cruises out of San Juan.”

Priceline’s hottest (most popular) domestic destinations are Orlando, Fla.; Las Vegas; New
Orleans; Miami; and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. None of those destinations is a surprise. The only
newcomer to this year’s top 10 list — which also includes New York; Orange County, Calif.; Boston;
and Atlanta — is the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The most affordable U.S. destinations, based on average hotel rates during the past year, are
Dallas; Salt Lake City; Orlando, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Phoenix, according to Priceline.

And if you’re looking for a hot destination just a short drive up I-71, Cleveland has been named
as one of
Travel + Leisure magazine’s “Best Places To Travel in 2015” and to
Fodor’s Travel “Go List 2015.”

The city will host the 2016 Republican National Convention and will be sprucing up this year in
preparation,
Travel + Leisure noted. (And, who knows? You might just bump into LeBron James.)

One old standby that seems to be getting even hotter is Washington, said Matthews of Prime
Tours.

And the city “is getting more popular among our adult (tour) groups, not just our student
groups,” Matthews said.

“The classic sites are still there, but the museums, monuments, shopping and restaurants are
constantly evolving, so there’s always something new.

“D.C. has a very young population and has lots of energy. I’ve been there hundreds of times and
never get tired of going.”

Perhaps in 2015 the capital of the United States will see an influx of new tourists from
Cuba.

sstephens@dispatch.com

@SteveStephens