With demand for luxury holidays growing, destinations not typically associated with top-end travel are coming into their own. Travel Weekly takes a look at the destinations making inroads into the luxury market.
India
It has long been known for its converted palaces and a smattering of top-notch properties, but India is now one of the fastest growing destinations for luxury travel, according to operators. And as more high-end hotels open, the country’s reputation as a backpackers’ paradise is being firmly shaken off.
Abercrombie and Kent saw sales soar for 2005, and it expects 2006 to have a much-expanded programme with eastern India featured for the first time and new tours added.
ITC Classics debuted India in 2005 with new itineraries focused around the Golden Triangle. Meanwhile, Carrier is adding several new properties for 2006.
India’s hotel stock continues to improve, with Oberoi’s investment in its villa properties, and developments by Aman Resorts. Taj Hotels took over the Umaid Bhawan hotel in Jodhpur last year, and opened Taj Green Cove in Kovalam, Kerala, last December.
Conservation Corporation Africa is planning to open 20 lodges – the first two in October – in a joint venture with Taj Hotels; and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts recently opened a New Delhi property and plans to open three more.
Sample product: ITC Classics’ new seven-night Golden Triangle Itinerary to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur leads in at £940 per person, including breakfast but excluding flights.
Mexico
There’s a lot of hype surrounding this destination as a rash of top-end properties open and operators rush to feature it. Great beaches, colourful colonial towns and plenty of history, along with some stunning hotels and recent publicity surrounding artist Frida Kahlo, have made Mexico increasingly fashionable.
Carrier is featuring Mexico for the first time for 2005/06 with 10 pages in both its Caribbean and North America brochures; Elegant Resorts added it for 2005; and ITC Classics introduced it last year.
On the Mayan Riviera south of Cancun, several hotels open later this year. The 401-room Fairmont Mayakoba will have a golf course and spa with a tree-top treatment suite; Rosewood Hotels and Resorts is opening Laguna Kai with 120 suites and 70 villas surrounded by jungle; and Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya will have 128 villas and a 2,000sq m spa.
In Mexico City, the choice of hip hotels has expanded with the 40-room Condesa Df hotel, open since January, and Starwood’s W Hotel. Over on the Pacific coast the Banyan Tree will open a 60-villa complex at Punta Diamante in Acapulco; and Rosewood is working on La Solana, a project at Punta Mita.
Sample product: Exsus Travel is offering 14 nights for the price of nine at the Paraiso de la Bonita hotel for £1,995 per person, with breakfast and flights, from August 22 to October 31.
Oman
Dubai’s concentration of incredibly extravagant luxury hotels continues to expand, and its popularity is having a knock-on effect on the entire region. One to watch out for is Oman.
“People who have done Dubai now want something new, a bit different and more cultural. In Oman there’s history and culture that Dubai doesn’t have and I think we’re going to see a lot of demand,” said Kuoni product manager Francis Torrilla.
The Al Bustan Palace in Muscat and The Chedi have both proved a hit with operators, and the new Shangri-La Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa, due to open in November, will increase Muscat’s five-star room inventory by 60%. The 680-room complex, set in 124 acres of landscaped gardens, will comprise three separate hotels: Al Waha, Al Bandar and Al Husn.
While the largest property, Al Waha, is set to appeal to families, with a kids’ club and babysitting facilities. The 198-room Al Bandar will house most of the banqueting and meeting facilities.
At the Al Husn, rooms come with a personal butler and facilities include a cigar lounge and private beach. The resort will also have a 1,000-seat outdoor amphitheatre and CHI spa.
Sample product: five nights at Al Husn costs from £934 per person for bed and breakfast, including flights, with Kuoni.
Sri Lanka
Well on the way to recovery after the devastation of the tsunami, operators say Sri Lanka is ready to make a mark on the luxury travel market as several new top-end hotels boost choice.
Many operators, including Kuoni and Abercrombie and Kent, have expanded their programmes for 2006. Among the latest additions is Amangalla, which opened in February in the heart of 17th-century Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site; and Amanwella,
a 30-suite boutique property nestled in a coconut grove near Tangalle.
The eagerly anticipated The Fortress opens in December. Set on a beach at Koggala, the hotel is designed in the style of an ancient fort. The 49 rooms boast plasma-screen TVs and DVD players. Other facilities include two restaurants, a cocktail bar, tearoom and a luxury spa.
Sample product: Abercrombie and Kent offers a Spices and Serenity tour taking in the beach Ngombo, Dambulle and Kandy from £1,349 per person, including flights and transfers.
China
A vast country with increasingly more appeal to the luxury market, China is an option for clients who want something relatively untouched.
Abercrombie and Kent plans to triple its China programme for next year, and Carrier is featuring the country for the first time in its 2006 brochure. Carrier worldwide product manager Sarah Findlow said: “China offers a wealth of attractions: bustling cities, fascinating history and stunning scenery. We expect it to prove popular.”
New hotels include the Banyan Tree Ringha, designed as a Tibetan-style village, which opens in YunnanProvince, in September. The Sofitel on Renim Square in Xian, home to the the famous Terracotta Army, opened in July.
Asia-based luxury hotel group Shangri-La continues to grow. Its property in Fuzhou opened in January; a £77 million expansion is underway at the Pudong in Shanghai; and 15 more hotels are planned by 2008.
Sample product: Carrier offers a nine-night tour, taking in Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Fuzhou, from £2,258 per person, twin-share, including breakfast, flights and transfers.
