Vietnam, Mexico and Cuba are three of the fastest-growing long-haul holiday destinations, according to a new study.
The Maldives remains the most popular country for long-haul travellers for the ninth year running, Kuoni says.
The operator’s Travel Edit 2014 report out today (Tuesday) puts Vietnam at the top of the ‘rising star’ destinations – jumping nine places in the company’s best-selling destination list from 23 in 2011 to 14 in 2013.
Mexico has seen a huge leap from 29th best-selling destination in 2011 to 17th at the end of last year, thanks to its increasing range of high-quality all-inclusive hotels alongside beaches.
Early indications are that Vietnam, Mexico and Cuba are becoming three of the most requested long-haul destinations for 2014.
Bestselling destinations for the year based on advance sales until the end of January:
- Maldives
- Thailand
- Sri Lanka
- United Arab Emirates
- USA
- Mauritius
- Malaysia
- Cuba
- Antigua
- Singapore
Kuoni managing director Derek Jones said: “Vietnam has seen huge developments in its tourism industry over the last few years with investment in a wide choice of hotels and sightseeing options.
“Access to the country has become much easier since Vietnam Airlines launched direct flights from the UK in 2011 and we’re now seeing the impact of that – we expect to see it move into our top ten this year for the first time.”
The value of the pound in many destinations is so strong that the total cost of a long-haul holiday including on-the-ground expenses is now comparable with a European break, Kuoni claims.
Club Bentota, on Sri Lanka’s west coast between Colombo and Galle, tops the list with prices from just £24 per person, per night on all-inclusive.
Demand for experiences and sightseeing trips is growing over ‘fly and flop’ holidays with three tours in Vietnam in the list of the operator’s best-selling experiences. The most popular is the Cu Chi Tunnels – an underground city that provided sleeping quarters and a command centre for up to 10,000 soldiers in the Vietnam War.
Mauritius has taken over from Sri Lanka as the top spot for overseas weddings.