Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap and Indonesia’s Borobudur temple in Central Java are to become sister sites, according to an official. Head of Indonesian delegation I Gusti Putu Laksaguna said on Thursday that the proposal had been agreed by both Cambodian and Indonesian tourism ministers during a bilateral meeting at the ASEAN Tourism Forum at the Grand Kawanoa Convention Center in Manado, North Sulawesi.

“The temples will become sister sites and the provinces will become sister provinces,” he said.

Read more: Borobudur and Angkor Wat temple to become sister sites, agreed by Indonesia and Cambodia

Imagine lazing in a hammock on a remote beach in Panama, where boldface names like Angelina Jolie and Michael Jordan have been spotted. It’s a trip within reach—rustic-but-stylish hotels start at $99—and a country that’s remaking itself for 2012.

Discovering new destinations might seem next to impossible, but one of the wonders of travel is that there’s always someplace new on the horizon. And even when you think you know a place, there’s a hidden side ripe for exploration. To uncover 2012’s most exciting destinations, T+L crisscrossed the globe, bringing back everything from Toronto’s new hot spots to secluded resorts in northern Mozambique.

Read more: Hottest travel destinations of year 2012

Malacca, Malaysia — What traveler hasn't landed in a dreamed-of destination and found it crawling with tourists, fast-food franchises, name-brand stores and dollar-a-beer bars? The good bones of Charleston, S.C., which made the World Monuments Fund's list of imperiled cultural sites this year because of cruise ship congestion, may be intact, but when commercial tourism runs amok you've got yourself a tourist trap.

Since 1972, the UNESCO World Heritage program has kept its own list, now 936 properties strong, of cultural and natural sites important to mankind, most of them in some way endangered or underdeveloped. But along with focusing attention and support on listed properties, inscription spurs visitation, with ill-conceived tourist development often in its path.

I found a case in point last year: Malacca, inscribed with its sister city George Town on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia, by UNESCO in July 2008. Founded by a Hindu prince who traveled on an elephant and converted to Islam in 1409, the Malacca Sultanate became the crossroads of Asia, passing from hand to hand like a magic lamp.

Read more: The startling spirit of Malacca, Malaysia