Editor’s Note
Ihave had travel on my mind all year long. The world economies are slowing primarily due to the playground fights amongst some leaders but travel is not showing any signs of ageing. On the contrary, all aspects of tourism are booming - new cruise lines, new cruise ships both big and small, new resorts branded and boutique, new flight routes, grand old names rebranding themselves as new and hip, cool brands embracing senior travellers, new destinations, and we haven’t even started talking about space travel. Is this leading up to a bubble? Well, not at the moment. There is a whole new set of audience, especially in Asia, who have not experienced luxury travel, or premium travel for that matter, and only of late have started to show up for the party. I recently met a senior gentleman who’s fifth overseas itinerary of his lifetime, included, at his insistence, landing on a glacier in Alaska for a few minutes – he needed to build his new Instagram profile. His 28 followers gave him 26 likes and 14 comments. It made his day!
There is a desperate search underway to find the next BIG destination to head to. With more families clocking at least 2 long haul and 3 short haul vacations every year, the routine will no longer cut it. Let’s head out to Patagonia in Argentina or Ladakh, the northernmost tip of India. The landscapes are mindblowing. Far from civilized distractions, these two destinations are purely about getting in touch with nature
– no crowds attached. It is my guarantee that as you ride your horse along multi-day treks covering fjords, national parks, along beautiful lakes and the Patagonian cliffs, the serenity is so addictive, you may just not wish to leave. Ladakh, in contrast is a cold, arid desert, a beauty never the less. The bright blue sky against the rocky brown landscape is hypnotic, with spirituality and the mighty Himalayas, always in close proximity.
Head to St. Petersburg in 2020, not for the Trumprussia dossier or the missing tape – that’s in Moscow. With Russia getting better at international posing, it is now ‘EU OK’ to head to Russia! The cultural capital of Russia, St Petersburg, shines with Tsar era palaces, each more extravagant than their western cousins. Days go by in artisan cafes near canals contemplating the shopping boutiques and fine dining restaurants that need to be visited next, for you see comrades, Adam Smith won the drinking competition against Karl Marx.
All eyes will be on Dubai in 2020. The prince of the desert holds Expo 2020 with the central theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and sub-themes ‘opportunity’, ‘mobility’ and ‘sustainability’ expected to draw 25 million visitors from 192 countries. When it comes to innovation and sustainability, Destination Dubai will give us a peek into what the next decade has in store for us.
Enjoy the countdown to the new decade, wherever you are!