Discovery tours of Namibia, great value beach breaks in Mauritius and glamping experiences in Thailand are all in demand for the year ahead according to the latest forecast from Kuoni.
The report is based on a data from Kuoni’s peak January and February sales period so far and reflects places around the world which are enticing people to book.
Even for premium travel, value for money is still a conversation many of Kuoni’s travel experts have been having with clients. The Kuoni sales team has seen higher volumes of holiday bookings to Thailand, South Africa and India than last year, which all offer immersive travel experiences but favourable exchange rates which are amplifying the pounds’ worth.
Whilst iconic “bucket list” travel is still popular, Kuoni is seeing people asking about experiences beyond the well-trodden tourist trails. The destination experts at Kuoni have created more travel options to many lesser-known regions, national parks and states, an example being a new itinerary in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, an often overlooked area that’s home to historic battlefields, mountain vistas and rich zulu cultures.
Destinations appearing in Kuoni’s trending destinations list for 2024 include Mauritius, Thailand, Greece, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Portugal, South Africa, Canada, Grenada and India.
The island of Grenada, with a blend of beach plus rainforest, has climbed Kuoni’s destination chart and is becoming one of the stars of the Caribbean. The hotel sector is evolving this year too, with Spice Island Resort making a stellar come-back after a substantial spruce-up and the much-anticipated debut of Six Senses La Lagesse in Spring set to turn heads.
Nature and cool landscapes are a big draw for the year ahead, and Canada is enjoying an upturn in sales with independent self-drive trips and rail and sail holidays including the little-known Skeena Train which captures the beauty of British Columbia.
Portugal and Greece are the stand-out places for premium short-haul travel. In tune with the experiential travel wave, the volcanic archipelago of the Azores and self-drive tours in the Douro Valley and city breaks in Lisbon and Porto are drawing people to Portugal. And in Greece, Kuoni is selling more island-hopping combinations like Santorini and Mykonos. Family bookings to Greece have risen with Ikos Resorts high on the wish list this summer.
Sri Lanka sales are also on the rise again and it is reclaiming its place as one of the best-selling long-haul destinations for Kuoni. Looking ahead to this year, the focus is on sustainable growth and attractions like the Pekoe Trail, a new long-distance hiking route from the Hanthana Mountains to Nuwara Eliya’s hill stations.
Thailand is also back on the map this year with rising sales. The next series of White Lotus is creating a buzz along with a rising curiosity for more offbeat journeys. The Bush Camp Chiang Mai, sister property to the award-winning Elephant Hills, is a top choice for seeing elephants in their natural habitat and this is being combined with glamping experiences at Raya Heritage.
Marco Rocha, product and commercial director at Kuoni, said: “There’s a huge thirst for immersive travel this year and we’ve seen a huge diversity in terms of what people are booking so far, but with some clear trends emerging.
We anticipated that value for money was going to be front of mind for all our customers this year, whether honeymooners, families, singles or older couples. We have been focussed on broadening our range and developing our commercial approach so we’re as competitive on price and service as we’ve ever been.
Mauritius is winning out for Indian Ocean luxury at attractive prices. For those big trips, like South Africa and India, they are also proving great value and spending money on the ground goes a long way. It’s great to see places like Namibia taking off as it’s something of a well-kept secret in Africa often overshadowed by the safari giants like Kenya and Tanzania.
We’ve had a strong start to the year, but anticipate that we’ll also see demand come through later this year as well as people assess their travel plans and budgets. But all evidence shows that travel is very much on the priority list for the year ahead.”
