A surge in luxury bookings and increased demand for Colombia are among the top travel predictions for 2018 from the Latin American Travel Association (Lata).
The association said the growth of high-end developments and services in the region was spurring the demand for luxury holidays.
Luxury eco-resort Awasi Iguazu is scheduled to open in January in Argentina, while Leonardo Di Caprio’s “Blackadore Cay, A Restorative Island” will open its doors later in the year in Belize.
New luxury services such as the Belmond Andean Explorer also illustrate a strong response to the growing luxury sector, according to Lata.
In Argentina, Abercrombie & Kent has seen travellers move away from more traditional tourist destinations towards more undiscovered and wildlife focused areas of the country such as Peninsula Valdes on the Atlantic coast and the Ibera Wetlands.
Jacada Travel has seen a similar trend across Latin America with a sharp rise in holiday bookings to off-the-beaten track destinations such as Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and Punta Gorda in Belize.
Journey Latin America and Chimu Adventures gave reported strong forward bookings for Colombia following a 5.1% year-on-year increase in UK visitors to the country in 2017.
Chimu said forward bookings for Colombia were already up 20% for 2018.
Lata said it also expects the launch of Latin America’s first budget flight from Gatwick to Buenos Aires with Norwegian Airlines will open up the region to a “more diverse market”, stimulating further growth.