You’ll want to do your homework on these 4 global hotspots named
to many “places to visit” lists and each offering an enriching, engaging, and stunning vacation experience. Skipping around the world, here’s a whirlwind tour.
By Paloma Villaverde de Rico
Feel the Latin Vibes
Our top pick destination in Central America is Nicaragua, enjoying higher visitor numbers and an expansive hotel infrastructure that includes dreamy shoreside retreats and idyllic wellness resorts. Says Ana Carolina Garcia, director of promotion and marketing for the Nicaragua Tourism Board, “Nicaragua is the safest country in Central America, making it the ideal destination for a well-deserved vacation. This country offers something for everyone, from luxury resorts and exclusive boutique properties located on a private island in the middle of the world’s largest lake to paradisiacal and pristine Caribbean islands that are ideal for those looking to get away from the bustle of city life.” This is a country where cultures merge, with 18 percent of its national territory protected and home to 7 percent of the world’s biodiversity, including beaches of volcanic origin on the Pacific coast to white-sand beaches and turquoise waters on the Caribbean shoreline.
NIC QUOTE
One of the country’s newest hotels is Malibu Popoyo Surf Resort. With its unique blend of luxury surf retreat vibe and an adventure sanctuary feel, this property is an all-inclusive, eco-friendly, boutique surf resort and retreat center that caters to surfers, yogis and adventurous souls. Located beachfront in the heart of Popoyo, here guests can access 10 world-class surf breaks.
AZORES
Off the Coast of Europe
Portugal has been on everyone’s hot list for a few years now, and if your clients have been there, done that and loved the vibe, then recommend The Azores. Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and North America—a 6-hour flight from New York—the island group offers bewitching landscapes, natural parks, marine reserves, hydrothermal waterfalls, gardens, whale watching, and white- and red-sand beaches, among a host of other enchantments. There are nine major Azorean islands and an islet cluster, all of volcanic origin, and the largest and most populated island—Sao Miguel, home to Ponta Delgada, capital of the Azores—only has some 137,000 inhabitants. This is the place to send clients looking to truly get away from it all…and they’ll be able to visit all the islands as there’s a ferry service throughout. It’s also Europe’s answer to Hawaii when it comes to surfing, and is considered one of the top 10 places in the world to see whales. Trekking enthusiasts, meanwhile, can climb Pico Island’s volcanic crater that soars 7,713 ft.
Located on Ribeira Grande in Sao Miguel, the five-star Hotel Verde Mar & Spa opened last month with 152 rooms, a spa and wellness center, two restaurants, two bars, a pool and a game room. Located on Monte Verde beach, the property offers unique views of the north coast of the island and the Atlantic Ocean.
PERTH AUSTRALIA
Hip Capital Happenings
With its culinary prowess, rising tourism numbers, influx of new luxe hotels, lively bars and breathtaking beaches, Perth, a booming capital city, is one of the hippest places to send clients interested in exploring all that Western Australia has to offer. Here, your clients can take a dip in the glassy waters of the Indian Ocean at Cottesloe Beach; meet the world’s cutest marsupial, the quokka, on Rottnest Island; and discover laneway bars in multicultural Northbridge. There’s plenty of opportunity to explore the area’s aboriginal history via an urban tour, as well, or take a stroll through King’s Park, one of the biggest city parks in the world located right in the heart of the city. It grants epic views of the Swan and Canning rivers and the skyscrapers perched on their banks. Tall, white-trunked trees line the entrance road to the park, which has a treetop bridge, bushland trails, manicured gardens and cafes.
In Perth, new hotel openings include The Adnate, part of the Art Series Hotel, set to open in October. The hotel’s design has been inspired by the Australian street artist Matt Adnate, and the hotel’s exterior will feature one of the world’s tallest murals. Also open is the 80-room Quay Perth, the city’s newest addition to the picturesque Elizabeth Quay development, overlooking the Swan River.
JAPAN
Asia Calling
Twenty-nineteen is gearing up to be a major year for travel to Japan, with the number of U.S. travelers having increased by an estimated 15 percent in the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year. Says Naohito Ise, executive director of the New York Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) office, “In 2018, the total number of overseas travelers to Japan broke an all-time record, exceeding more than 30 million visitors (including a record 1.5 million visitors from the U.S.) and marking an 8.7 percent increase over the year before. Over the coming months, JNTO will continue to build on this momentum and work to inspire Americans to visit lesser-known regions of Japan beyond the major cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.”
One of the biggest news coming out of Japan is the increase of new hotel openings in less-visited places. Last month saw the opening of Halekulani Okinawa, located in the heart of Japan’s tropical paradise on the main island of Okinawa. Situated along the coast of the East China Sea, the Halekulani Okinawa features 360 luxurious guest accommodations, including 47 suites and five private villas, all of which have views of the ocean. This month, the LakeSuite KO no SUMIKA is opening in Hokkaido with 80 rooms that seamlessly blend the hotel’s natural surroundings with traditional Japanese elements, and guests who book terrace rooms have access to their own onsen. And this fall will see the opening of the Agora Kanawaza, located in historic Kanazawa Katamachi, a castle town dating back to the Edo period. The property will be centered around the concept of satei, offering guests a way to experience the town’s spirit by offering local traditions through tea ceremonies.