A new $150 million airport in Victoria Falls, capable of welcoming 1.5 million people a year aboard massive passenger jets, is only one of several reasons why Zimbabwe is on our 2017 list. The country is building up its tourism infrastructure despite&amp;#8212;and, sometimes, in spite of&amp;#8212;years of economic downturn and authoritarian governance. The same resilience is on show in the country’s conservation efforts; there&amp;#39;s been a clampdown on poaching and biodiversity flourishes in Hwange National Park, the country’s largest game reserve. While everyone’s booking stays in the safari parks of Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa, we recommend scouting for the Big Five in much less-crowded (and often more affordable) Zimbabwe. A new under-$1,000 eight-night safari by Gecko Adventures, launching in the spring, will take you from Victoria Falls, through Hwange and into South Africa’s Limpopo province, making it possible to see the best of the country in a single stretch. &amp;#8212;S.M.