Colombo, Sri Lanka is revealed as the 'must-photograph' travel destination in social media study

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka was named the dream destination for 2019 by Hostelworld. Now, its commercial capital city Colombo has been labelled the "must-photograph" travel destination for 2019 in a study of more than 1.3 million social media posts.

Dubbed “Sri Lanka’s ocean city” by Lonely Planet, Colombo offers more than just beaches. Visitors can wander through shiny shopping malls and colourful markets, kneel on the cool marble floors of Colombo’s many temples, or weave through the city on tuk-tuks.

It is these scenes which dominate the Colombo location feed on Instagram, according to a study carried out by Huawei as part of a campaign for the release of its new model P Smart 2019.

Image credit: maxos_dim on Pixabay

However, Colombo will do more than just delight your vision. The city overwhelms all the senses.

Smoky trails of incense dance towards high temple ceilings while delicious spicy aromas waft throughout bustling streets. Neatly stacked piles of rainbow-coloured fabrics invite you to glide your fingers across the soft silk and feel the delicate embroidery of the textiles.

Sri Lanka’s delicacies include a diverse range of signature spicy curries accompanied by fluffy steaming rice. They make it difficult to save some room for dessert, often creamy curd drizzled with treacle.

Peppered with ancient ruins, Buddhist temples, colonial buildings, and increasingly more modernist structures, Colombo’s architecture is grand, but it also provides an insight into the city's history.

The National Museum provides a detailed summary of the ever-shifting social and political dynamics present in Sri Lanka, set within an extravagant white colonial building encompassed by gardens.

Other historical and cultural spots worth a visit include the Independence Memorial Hall, the Dutch Museum, and the Paradise Road Gallery.

Image credit: maxos_dim on Pixabay

Director of marketing for Huawei in the UK and Ireland, Justin Costello, says of the study, “It’s interesting to see that Gen Z are keen to get out and explore the world by treading their own path – enabling them to share with friends their experiences in these new ‘must shoot’ destinations on social media.”

Of course, it is impossible to summarise the travel desires of a generational category as broad as Generation Z. However, the research indicates a growing desire to push the boundaries of the well-trodden tourist trails. Younger generations are drawing on photography, a powerful medium for global communication, to capture the world’s most photogenic destinations, inspiring more and more people to do the same.

As popular destinations face floods of partying tourists, there is hope that younger generations will appreciate the vibrancy of cultures and regions largely untouched by tourism.

Here is the complete list of "must-photograph" destinations:

1. Colombo, Sri Lanka

2. Kobe/Yokohama, Japan

3. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda

4. Baden-Baden, Germany

5. Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

6. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

7. Kartarpur, Narowal District, Pakistan

8. Wadi Rum, National Park, Jordan

9. Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), US (Alaska)

10. Isle of Harris, Scotland

In celebration of the launch of the new P Smart 2019, Huawei is giving one lucky social media user the chance to win a round-the-world trip visiting each of the top ten "must-photograph" destinations for 2019.

To enter, simply upload a picture of a local hidden gem to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #HuaweiOnTour.