New York Times Names 52 Places to Go in 2016

To add some clarity to the process, the editors answer some frequently asked questions about how they chose the 52 Places to Go in 2016.

How do you start the process?

First we contact dozens of contributing writers, many of them based overseas, for suggestions. We receive a few hundred ideas, and start with those.

What are you looking for in those ideas?

We aim for a selection of places that we expect to be particularly compelling in the coming year; reasons might include a museum opening, a new transportation option or a historical anniversary. So even though cities like Paris, Rome and Tokyo are always exciting, they didn’t make the cut.

How do you narrow it down to the final list?

We discuss the merits and drawbacks of each suggested destination in a marathon-length meeting (or two) before cutting down the list. Our main goal is to have a variety of regions and interests, with some surprises mixed in. We also try for a mix of scale, including cities, regions and even entire countries.

Here are 2016's Top 10:

1. Mexico City
2. Bordeaux, France (pictured at top)
3. Malta
4. Coral Bay, St. John
5. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
6. Mozambique
7. Toronto
8. Abu Dhabi
9. Skane, Sweden
10. Viñales, Cuba

What made Mexico City the top choice?

The No. 1 has to hit a sort of sweet spot: a major destination that is a particularly strong choice to visit this year. We think Mexico City is just that. From restaurants to museums to shopping, it has it all — and there’s nowhere in the world quite like it. It’s also a famously sprawling metropolis, but need not be intimidating — neighborhoods like La Roma and San Ángel are like little cities unto themselves. (It is also easier to get to, with more flights from more United States airports than ever before.) From Milan (2015) to Cape Town (2014) to Rio (2013), the places that land at No. 1 are chosen because at this moment there is a defining reason to go.

What did you do differently this year?

For the last few years, in our online presentation of the list, we’ve featured what we call cinemagraphs — basically short videos that take the place of still images in the desktop version. We’ll be doing a bunch of those again. But we’ve also added a special video at the top of the page, which includes footage of Mexico City shot with a drone. “We filmed at sunrise and sunset,” said Josh Haner, a staff photographer who was part of a small team that went down to shoot the footage, “and looked for locations that we thought captured the feeling of old and new in Mexico City.”

My favorite destination didn’t make the list. Why not?

Though we stick to 52 places, of course there is an almost endless number of great destinations. Our selection is just that — a selection — and by no means comprehensive. We’d love to hear your suggestions. All year, we’ll be featuring your picks in a new feature; use the #52places hashtag on Instagram to suggest yours.

See the full list: 52 Places to Go in 2016

Photo credit: Château Jean Faux, in the village of Sainte Radegonde. Rodolphe Escher for The New York Times