Singapore, Thailand and Japan are among top destination picks for next year, while world-class sports events like the 2015 Rugby World Cup will also see fans flocking to host nation England.

Why Asia's hot right now

"One of the hottest regions is Asia and there are a couple of different drivers," says Elizabeth Crabill, president of global travel provider TravelBound, which serves 40,000 travel agents worldwide.

Japan, notoriously expensive for foreign visitors, is set to become more affordable because of the depreciation of the yen, which has lost nearly a quarter of its value since 2012.

"International currencies are going to go a lot farther," says Crabill.

She points to increased interest in Okinawa, "the Hawaii of Japan," a string of islands in the south with a subtropical climate and a strong indigenous culture.

Thailand is expected to bounce back from a coup in May, which hit tourism hard with unrest and curfews.

"There's a lot of pent up demand," says Crabill, adding that in spite of the recent negative headlines tourists are likely to stream back to Thailand for great food and glorious beaches.

Meanwhile, Singapore will celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence in 2015, making it a big draw for visitors.

Famed for its eclectic cuisine, soaring skyscrapers -- and, more recently, ambitions to transform itself into a city in a garden starting with the 100-hectare Gardens by the Bay -- Singapore is putting on a number of events to celebrate its Golden Jubilee.

Highlights include the opening of the National Gallery Singapore and the opening of the Jubilee Walk, which will cover historic locations on the island.

"It's our top destination for 2015 globally," says Crabill.

Instant messaging, wearable tech, robots

Tech continues to drive the future of travel and it's shaping everything from the way we show off about our holidays with "braggies," like a selfie, but taken within 10 minutes of arriving at your hotel.

It's also changing who brings us room service (clue: it might not be a human).

"Technology is the strongest disruptive force in the travel industry today," says Angelo Rossini, travel and tourism analyst at Euromonitor International.

He's one of the editors of the annual WTM Global Trends Report 2014, released at last month's World Travel Market in London.

One of the most surprising predictions in the report comes out of Asia, where millions of people now make travel bookings via instant messaging.

Chinese messaging service WeChat has 440 million active users -- second only to U.S. messaging service Whatsapp -- but it's leading the way when it comes to monetizing its popularity.

Chinese online travel agency Ctrip sells air, train and other tickets on WeChat, while travelers on low-cost carrier Spring Airlines book flights and check in using its WeChat service.

(CNN)