Thanks useful information: 
I think probably first think you need to decide is how seriously you intend to take this. i.e. if you buy a good camera now, is it going to be used for anything more than snapshots or basic holiday photos? The challenge with with the Powershot SX720 is that is where you stop. I.e. if you want to do anything more, you have to replace the camera. You can't upgrade the lenses progressively or do anything more than that camera offers.
The second thing is a defined budget. If you have $2k to spend, the recommendations are going to be different to $1K.
If you don't know, I would invest in a cheap system that will progressively allow you to move up as your skill progresses and then upgrade your lenses and camera accordingly so you minimise your initial investment.
If you know that this is something you want to take more seriously, the difference is no so much the body you buy now, but how much you invest in the lenses. The body can be fairly basic, but the lenses are what makes the difference between a photo that looks good and a photo that looks like it was taken on an iPhone.
So if you don't know what you intend doing and you want something that is good, but not spectacular, you could invest in a small mirrorless camera like a Fuji XA3 with a kit lens or an Olympus Pen or similar (Sony, Panasonic, there are heaps of mirrorless interchangeable cameras). This will get you into about a $800 or about $1000 if you get them as a dual lens kit. The photos will still be good enough to impress people (i can show you samples from the XA3 my mum just got) and the camera should last you for a while without feeling like its really holding you back. They have auto modes, along with scenes (portrait, landscape etc) so you can take photos without knowing much, but you can push them into manual to start learning the ropes by adjusting individual settings. This means the camera will move as your progression changes.
If you know this is going to be something you take more seriously, you could spend a little more on the body (not sure if it would be practical unless you have a bit more to spend) and get a better lens, but I would personally recommend a better lens or set of lenses because they will have more impact on your photos than upgrading the camera. That is of course if it's within budget.
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