Lonely Planet Names Shenzhen as a Top City to Visit in 2019

Shenzhen, China’s answer to Silicon Valley, has been ranked second on the list of ‘top 10 cities to visit in 2019’ published by respected travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet on 22, Oct, 2018.

The 10 cities were picked by editors from various nominations provided by its staffers, as well as hundreds of contributors from around the world. Copenhagen in Denmark claimed the top spot in the list, as it’s a ‘capital of cool’.

According to Tom Hall, Lonely Planet’s editorial director, Shenzhen is making its mark as a city of the future featuring “hypermodern architecture, innovative environmental practices and a slew of new design openings, all connected to neighbour Hong Kong by high-speed rail”.

“It’s the place to get a taste of modern China, close enough to easily combine with Hong Kong, and a place that while most people would not have considered visiting in the past is a destination for the future,” he said.

Dubbed ‘China’s most innovative city’, Shenzhen is a major city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. In 1980 the region was designated the country’s first Special Economic Zone and was given special economic policies, as well as flexible governmental measures. It was also one of the fastest-growing cities in the world in the 1990s and the 2000s.

Completing the top ten is Novi Sad in Serbia, Miami in the US, Nepal’s Kathmandu, Mexico City, Senegal’s Dakar, Seattle on the US west coast, Meknès in Morocco and Zadar in Croatia.

Editors also picked the top 10 regions, countries and best value destinations for its 2019 Best in Travel recommendations.