The 9 hottest destinations of the last decade

From capital Bangkok to remote resorts, tourists could go on any type of vacation they wanted in Thailand. Think beach time, ancient ruins, museums and markets.

Iceland

If you asked a group of people in the past five years where they'd been itching to travel, Iceland would definitely come up. And who could blame them? From the fjords to mineral springs to geysers, travellers have been flocking to there in droves.

"Seemingly overnight, everyone all of a sudden wanted to see - or just got back from seeing - the Northern Lights from a glass igloo," Jacob Marek, founder of IntroverTravels, a company catering to inward adventurers, said. However, recent tourism figures indicate interest in visiting the country may be starting to lose some steam.

Peru

Machu Picchu saw tourism double from approximately 700,000 in 2010 to more than 1.5 million in 2018, according to Peruvian tourism data. There's already been more than 1 million this year, without three months of statistics still to be counted.

And there's much more to see beyond Machu Picchu: Trujillo, Mancora and Chiclayo, for instance, are ideal surfing beaches and offer great seafood.

France

France ranked as No. 1 on Dollar Flight Club's top 10 destinations for the last decade . The company aggregated flight data for more than 1 million people in more than 100 countries, as well as leverages first and third-party airfare data sources.

"With (Paris') the Eiffel Tower, C"te d'Azur, the amazing French Alps or the numerous castles and cathedrals, France is a true magnet for worldwide tourism, all year long," Will Hatton, founder and CEO of The Broke Backpacker, said.

That said, the Paris tourism industry ended the decade on a down note. Notre Dame was empty on Christmas for the first time in over 200 years following April's devastating fire. And a nationwide labor strike crippled transit in December.

England

In terms of employment across all of the UK, tourism has been the fastest-growing sector sine 2010, according to VisitBritain.org.

London specifically has been a hot destination on its own. The city includes an "unrivalled wealth of visitor attractions, historical monuments, world-class entertainment, nightlife and more," Freddie Julius of Tourist England said.

The country has been dealing with the potential impact of Brexit as well, and it remains to be seen what the ultimate fallout will be.

Vietnam

Thailand may have been popular earlier in the decade, but Marek says Vietnam shot up in popularity. "Southeast Asia tends to shift every decade or so," he says. "In the aughts, Thailand was the up-and-coming destination of the decade; in the 'teens, it was all about Vietnam."

"With the tourism industry now accounting for nearly a tenth of the country's GDP, the scramble is on to capture the expanding market," Rory Linnane wrote for USA TODAY in 2016. "Main streets are dotted with tourist information centres, double-decker buses, and hostesses handing out English menus."

Travellers could enjoy everything from spelunking to diving to kayaking.

Morocco

Morocco topped the list of small group travel company Intrepid Travel's top destinations around the world for the 2010s. The North African country is rich with history and architecture, not to mention outdoor bazaars and many a kitesurfer.

It's also a short flight from Spain, making it an easy itinerary addition for travellers wanting to sneak in a visit.

Australia

The land down under was just under Morocco on Intrepid Travel's top destinations list, and back in 2015, it was deemed the "ultimate dream international destination" by a survey of American consumers - and it's not difficult to see why.

Take stunning Kangaroo Island, for instance, where kangaroos actually outnumber the human residents. And that's not the only place where travellers could check out the country's wildlife.

TNS