As the Asia Pacific region continues to be the growth engine for luxury travel, a new comprehensive report from the Luxury Group by Marriott International has identified new expectations and travel preferences among high-net-worth (HNW) travelers in Asia Pacific. Across the region, 68% are planning to spend more on travel over the next 12 months – 89% among Indians - with 74% planning to travel within Asia Pacific and 88% prioritizing gastronomy as the reason to travel. One in four of all holidays planned (25%) are celebrations. Three distinct new groups of luxury traveler have emerged – the ‘Venture Travelist’ who seeks business opportunities when traveling, ‘Experience Connoisseur’ Millennials who are traveling for enrichment and ‘Timeless Adventurer’, over 65s who are building their own itineraries and exploring places before they become popular.
Australia vs New Zealand: which destination is right for you?
21.06.2024 - 15:09 / lonelyplanet.com
Jun 20, 2024 • 6 min read
If you’re planning a great Antipodean adventure, Australia and New Zealand tempt in equal measure.
Yet since that year-long sabbatical that will allow you to travel slowly across both countries may be a long time coming, you’ll likely have to make the tough decision to visit one over the other.
How do you tackle such a choice? Let two of our travel experts help.
Australian travel writer and Lonely Planet contributor Sarah Reid has collected more than 130 passport stamps. But she has yet to visit another country that ticks as many boxes as her homeland.
So our mountains might not be as dramatic, our airline safety not as funny, and our rugby team...well, let’s not get into that. But while I have a deep affection for our neighbor across the Tasman Sea, there’s really no beating what Australia has to offer visitors.
Let’s start with the world’s oldest living cultures. Every corner of the country forms part of the traditional lands of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander group with its own language, customs, traditions and stories. And there have never been more opportunities to experience this rich cultural legacy, from being dazzled by Wintjiri Wiru, a new state-of-the-art cultural storytelling experience at Uluru, to climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with an Indigenous storyteller guide.
Speaking of Sydney: what a showstopper! I lived in the New South Wales capital for nearly a decade, and I still get misty-eyed at the sight of the Sydney Opera House sticking out into the sparkling Sydney Harbor. With regard to new food frontiers, did you know the flat white was invented in Sydney? We realize that might be hard for Kiwis to accept. And while New Zealand might have made the first pavlova, its culinary scene doesn’t hold a candle to Australia’s, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, which both lie within easy striking distance of top wine regions. And let’s not forget our other cool capital cities: Canberra and Hobart, to name two, can get literally as cold as Auckland or Wellington, but rarely as windy.
The magical island of Tasmania is home to five of Australia’s 12 Great Walks. And while we won’t deny the Lord of the Rings landscapes experienced on New Zealand’s 10 Great Walks are pretty special, they’re generally lacking one thing Australia has no shortage of: wildlife. (Sheep don’t count.) It never gets old spotting a koala dozing in a gum tree, an echidna waddling across your path or a kangaroo bounding through the bush. And how amazing are Australia’s birds? There are few sounds as joyous as a family of kookaburras erupting into laughter.
I will say that New Zealand’s small size makes for easier and less carbon-intensive trips within the country. Yet across its great
A travel expert who has been to more than 90 countries says these are the best under-the-radar destinations
From Europe and Asia to South America and Australia, Samantha Brown has been to more than 90 countries around the world.
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When an online travel company has a fast-growing business unit, it usually doesn’t take much prodding to get officials to tout it. But that’s not the case with Booking Holdings and its nine-year old business unit, Booking.com for Business.
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Australia’s Tourism Sector Set to Contribute Record-Breaking $265BN to the Economy
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World's Leading Travel & Tourism Certification Organizations Join Forces
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Australia's Tourism Industry on Track to Break Records
Australia’s travel and tourism industry is on track to contribute more to the country’s economy in 2024 than any other previous year on record.The industry is expected to generate a total of $265 billion for the Australian economy this year, according to a new Economic Impact Research (EIR) report from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).Australia’s travel industry fully rebounded back to pre-pandemic tourism levels in 2023 and is expected to continue robust growth over the coming decade, ultimately exceeding $345 billion by 2034.
Explora Journeys Announces Partnership With Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup
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Carnival Reports Record Cruise Line Bookings for 2025
Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise operator, reported record future bookings in the second quarter. It signaled robust demand for cruise travel in 2025 despite broader economic uncertainties.
I bid $290 for a premium economy seat on a 10-hour Lufthansa flight. I'm glad I didn't win.
I boarded a 10-hour Lufthansa flight from Denver to Germany and immediately questioned the decision I made just a day prior.