Top travel destinations for 2013

Crossing into a new year prompts new lists of things to do and places to visit. What's your travel destination for 2013? If you are at a loss, let CNN help you with their list of top travel destinations for 2013.

When compiling their list of 2013 hot spots, they took into account a set of factors including economics of the places, major events, some savvy marketing influence, pop culture. They also canvassed travel sites, travel experts and organizations to identify up-and-coming destinations based on bargains, significant events and important new services, such as added airline routes and major hotel openings.

Here is their list of 7 hot spots for the year:

1. Scotland tops the list

Scotland has dubbed 2013 as the "Year of Natural Scotland" with many outdoor events and special deals planned around the Year of Natural Scotland, highlights include: the Dumfries & Galloway Wildlife Festival 2013 (March 29-April 14); Heb Celt 2013 music festival (July 17-20); Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight (September 7-22); and, of course, The Open Championship golf tournament (July 14-21).

(The 2012 James Bond thriller "Skyfall" was filmed in Scotland's dramatic countryside and misty highlands.)

2. Rabat, Morocco

Marrakech or beachside charm of Essaouira have long been the focus of travels to Morocco. All this will change in 2013 with the shift to Rabat, the elegant capital city in the northwest of the country, having been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2012.

The rest of the 7 are:

3. Košice, Slovakia
4. Sub-Saharan Africa
5. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States
6. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
7. Colombia

For details, visit CNN's Top travel destinations for 2013