Plus our luxury travel PR experts reveal some of next year’s hottest new destinations and travel experiences across the globe.
With travel firmly back on the map in the luxury sector, some interesting new travel trends are predicted for 2023. In fact, it is luxury travellers that have led the industry back to levels already surpassing those of 2019, according to California based global agency Virtuoso.
We asked Rick Jordan, Contributing Editor of Condé Nast Traveller for his predictions for luxury travel next year. He says ‘So for 2023, despite ‘metaverse’ coming runner-up in Oxford’s Word of the Year, the way we travel will be grounded in IRL experiences. People will still be looking to tick off bucket-list experiences and circle back on reassuringly nostalgic destinations. Travelling further, for longer – fewer short hops, more immersive. Family travel will continue to diversify away from traditional models, while high-impact conservation adventures and high-impact spa holidays will flourish, and cruises will bounce back with expedition vessels taking guests into the even wider blue yonder’.
Massimo Ianni, travel thought leader and founder of Casas Latinas and Massimo & Partners consultancy says, ‘2023 is all about sustainable, purpose driven journeys. The reason for a trip is becoming more and more important’. In addition, Massimo suggests ‘before you book a trip have a think and ask yourself the following questions: ‘how will my holiday impact the planet and indeed the community in that destination…also ‘what will I take home from this trip?’.
Booking.com have also just released their predictions and say 2023 will be the year of ‘reimagining travel’. As the world adapts to ‘the new normal’ following a period of limited international travel and national lockdowns, travellers are eager to get out and see the world. And it seems like it’s good news. While we head into 2023 in the midst of global economic and political uncertainty, almost three-quarters (72%) of people said travelling is still worth it.
Massimo Ianni is also predicting ‘people will take fewer vacations, but opt to stay for longer. There will be a demand for more genuine, no-frill experiences. Connectivity from both a technological point of view but more and more, from a human point of view. People will be looking for the opportunity to be “active” and contribute in many ways to the community who live in the area they are travelling to’.
Here are our top five favourite travel trends for 2023
Embracing the off-season
After the pandemic travel pause, the surge in luxury travel to beloved destinations like the Amalfi Coast and Greece pushed demand into the low seasons like never before, and hotels responded by opening earlier in the spring and welcoming guests often all the way to Christmas—a move that seems to be sticking.
Our hot tip for long-haul off season travel is Trancoso in Brazil. Famous for its New Year parties (Beyonce is a regular) this laid back boho beach town is a hotbed of arts and culture and buzzing with boutiques, bars and restaurants. Vogue called it ‘Brazil’s answer to Tulum’ but what most people don’t know is that the off-season is actually the nicest time to visit (April-June) when the temperatures are hot and sunny and the private jets have departed. Stay at Casa Mia (pictured below) a stunning architecturally designed villa with a black infinity pool backed by lush jungle, right in the heart of Trancoso and perfect for that out of season beach getaway. (www.casaslatinas.com)
Art as the new food
Culinary travel will be replaced by art escapes – another new leading luxury travel trend. In the Scottish Highlands, the Swiss gallerists Manuela and Iwan Wirth have created a stunning hotel-gallery hybrid at The Fife Arms – which includes more than 14,000 works such as Picassos, Freuds, and Richters. In Marrakesh, Royal Mansour offers guests complimentary tickets to the stunning Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech. And creative art partnerships are the new Michelin-starred chef. In Italy, Belmond has joined with acclaimed Galleria Continua to create MITICO, four garden-based art installations (including Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou’s stunning Les Routes du Paradis at Grand Hotel Timeo on Sicily) that will return anew in 2023. For a more contemporary take, Pikes Hotel in Ibiza hold photographic and art shows each year (Diana Gomez photographic exhibition pictured below)
Travel To Gather
Increased use of apps such as WhatsApp are creating micro-communities such as fitness groups, neighbours, family, friends and yoga. More than ever now we are seeing these groups booking villas or buy-out properties together so that the experience can be shared. Our favourite hotspots for this are Casa Badra (pictured below) in Puglia (sleeps eight) where your group can learn to cook traditional pasta with the local nonnas or explore the sundrenched Puglian landscape. Another great getaway is Locanda in Tuscany, a boutique hotel in a UNESCO world heritage site available to book exclusively. Here you can hire vintage vespas, visit the thermal baths, spend a day in a winery or simply cycle through the olive groves together. Both are available to book via Casas Latinas.
Off Grid escapes
Now more than ever the desire to get away from everything is paramount. For a truly off-grid bucket-list experience book a five night charter yacht trip island hopping around the exquisite archipelago of Raja Ampat (pictured below) off Western Papua, on the hand-built traditional Phinisi super-yacht ‘Prana by Atzaró’ (sleeps 18). As part of this incredible trip you can enjoy once in a lifetime experiences such as snorkelling and diving among famous reefs such as Melissa/’s Garden, and exploring tiny uninhabited limestone islands populated by beautiful Birds of Paradise.
Immersion in Nature
Take a deep dive into a restorative holiday surrounded by the natural world. Travellers are looking to spending time in rural places away from the crowds where they can experience a holiday steeped in nature. In Ibiza book the famous spa hotel Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel – known for its lush Mediterranean gardens planted with swaying palms and orange trees. Relax on one of their sumptuous daybeds amongst a thyme and lavender planted Spa Garden (pictured below). Their three hectare vegetable garden has been designed with walkways shaded by flowers and climbing plants so that you can spend time meandering and seeing the produce which supplies the hotel’s restaurants with organic vegetables and fruit. You can also explore the hidden Olive Tree strewn mountain paths of the quieter more rustic side of the island on E-bikes or with a guided walking tour that the hotel can arrange for you.
And finally, our destination trend watch for 2023
‘Japan!’ says Rick Jordan at Condé Nast Traveller…he also says ‘Some of us are still playing catch-up, so easy-access, close-to-home destinations such as Paris will always appeal, though far-flung New Zealand and Asia – both only just back on our radars – are going to be big for 2023. The temples and valley hotels of Bhutan, for example, and Nepal, which is set for a major luxe opening; perhaps even China will be back on the cards later in the year. Egypt is an obvious hit, with its grand museum finally open, while the Antarctic Peninsula will be within sight of many, thanks to a flotilla of new expedition ships heading there. But with affordability upmost in many people’s minds, we’ll also be ferreting out curious and unusual places around the UK, taking advantage of newly crafted hotels, glamping spots and restaurants with rooms with locally sourced ingredients to the fore’.
Booking.com have also shared their booking trends for 2023 which include Sao Paulo in Brazil, Budva in Montenegro, Pondicherry in India, Queretaro in Mexico, Bolzano in Italy, Kalabaka in Greece, and Santa Fe in the USA
We asked Massimo Ianni at Casas Latinas about his plans for 2023. ‘I’m looking forward to creating and curating even more challenging projects. I am about to start a new venture in Japan, – I am fascinated by the Japanese culture and heritage. I am also passionate about how I can bring a new dimension to an already very high quality hospitality offering, in one of the most refined and sophisticated countries in the world’.
