Belize Wins Gold in Wanderlust Emerging Destination Award
Kazakhstan placed 10th in the same category, according to results of the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards public vote.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Central America
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Belize took gold in the Most Desirable Emerging Destination category of the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, with Guatemala placing silver and Armenia bronze. Kazakhstan ranked 10th in the category, the results show.
Why it matters
The awards are decided by public vote, so the rankings reflect the preferences of travellers who responded rather than an expert panel. Kazakhstan's placement follows its earlier inclusion in a Vogue list of top travel destinations.
The results come from a public vote in which 251,461 readers cast more than 8.2 million votes across the awards. Kazakhstan finished 10th in the emerging destination category, while the source material does not report individual vote counts for each finalist.
The players
Wanderlust
Wanderlust is a British travel magazine that established the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards.
Vogue
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that previously included Kazakhstan in a list of top travel destinations.
The details
The Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, established by the British travel magazine Wanderlust, were decided by votes from readers worldwide. Belize took gold, Guatemala silver and Armenia bronze in the Most Desirable Emerging Destination category.
Timeline
- The results were announced on November 6, 2026.
Big Picture
Kazakhstan's 10th-place finish follows its earlier inclusion in a Vogue list of top travel destinations, extending that recognition to a reader-voted award. The result adds a second major travel-media endorsement for the country in the emerging destination space.
Travellers considering emerging destinations can use reader-voted rankings as one input when comparing options. The awards results do not indicate travel costs, visa rules or seasonal conditions for the destinations named.
The takeaway
Reader-voted awards offer one signal of which emerging destinations are attracting attention among travellers. Those interested in Belize, Guatemala, Armenia or Kazakhstan can compare the results with their own travel priorities.
Further reading
For more on the region, see Central America travel destinations.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Qazinform.
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