2023 Turned out to be a banner year for adventure travel. Travellers who had not booked since the pandemic decided it was time, while others who had travelled already, decided to go in style or in off season.
Here’s what destinations adventure travellers like you booked in 2023.
At the top of the list is Vietnam, a country many travellers have on their bucket list, and which was particularly popular with families. From an adopting family discovering their children’s roots, to families travelling together, we put together great itineraries that gave them real local experiences. As Stephanie emailed me on her last day there: "Good morning from Vietnam! Today is our last day on our amazing trip of Vietnam, and we want to send you a big thank you for arranging such a remarkable, memorable and beautiful trip."
Next in popularity was hiking Mont Blanc, in particular, this highlights trip, which shows you the best parts of the Circuit. But trekkers didn’t shy away from doing the entire circuit either. As Mara wrote on her return: "The Tour du Mont Blanc is an absolutely wonderful hike — there are picture-perfect views of mountains 75% of the time, the trails are well maintained and varied.” So great was her feedback that I decided to check it out for myself next year!
Back in Southeast Asia, Thailand saw a resurgence of interest with many travellers wanting us to tailor their itinerary and create a holiday that suited their exact needs.
Spain and Portugal were also popular this year with travellers particularly liking trekking the Camino and hiking the Picos de Europa in Spain. Others cycled along the coast of Portugal, or visited the islands of Madeira and the Azores, either on foot or by expedition cruise.
Perennial favourite Italy scored high again this year, perhaps not surprisingly with so many varying regions to check out. Sicily and Amalfi scored the highest in 2023.
Morocco had an outstanding year, despite a few cancellations immediately after the earthquake. It is a great country to experience on a Premium trip where you engage in adventure by day and stay in comfort at night, as I had the pleasure of doing just over a year ago.
Finally, Central America was popular with clients, especially Costa Rica. With myriad activities and wildlife viewing opportunities, there are no surprises there!
As for the type of holiday people enjoyed, small-group cultural discovery tours are still the most popular, although the percentage of travellers choosing these declined compared with pre-pandemic numbers. The share of travellers choosing hiking trips (both small-group and self-guided), tailor-made holidays and wildlife vacations (including cruises to Antarctica) increased significantly post-pandemic. Premium trips were extremely popular too, perhaps a reflection of people wanting value for money and a bit of a treat after sitting at home for so long.
So where will you go in 2024? If you need inspiration, check out this blog post or contact me.
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