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Travel Feature - What’s Hot for 2006 & What’s
Not !
Article - Andrew Cook, director of sales
at leading prize promotion specialist, Unmissable,
argues that it’s not only the destinations themselves
which will prove to be hot in 2006 but the experiences
that drive people there.
Destinations that can provide new experiences / activities
will inevitably grow in popularity as the need for
innovation within the promotions and incentive sector
continues to be of paramount importance. The destinations
themselves might not be the sole reason for their
success, there also needs to be an activity / experience
/ venue at the location which creates the initial
interest.
We take a look at what’s new on the horizon
as well as outlining a few areas to take into consideration.
WHAT’S HOT:
1) Sporting Events:
The Football World Cup in Germany Summer 2006 and
Ryder Cup in Ireland in Sept 2006 will both prove
popular and this may see an increase in the number
of sports related incentive trips / destinations,
hence destinations which have an association with
sporting excellence could well see an increase. Innovative
elements can be added to these trips to achieve a
higher perceived value such as sports celebrity interaction
(meet and greets), VIP ticket access behind the scenes
and even in some cases, signed memorabilia.
2) Destinations:
- Eastern Europe
As areas of Eastern Europe continue to open their
doors they are attracting investors from several
industries including property and financial services.
There is also a huge opportunity for the tourism
industry and venues / hotels are specifically developing
infrastructures to cope with an increased demand
for not only the group incentive and conference
markets but also for consumer travel as well. Cities
such as Dubrovnik, Split, Tallinn and Budapest are
seeing an influx of visitors and we are in fact
currently working on a project for an event for
journalists in Budapest, which ties in with a computer
games launch.
- South America
Whilst, there are, certain areas of South America,
which should be avoided at all costs most notably
Colombia, there are several destinations, which
are starting to see an increase in popularity. Argentina
and Chile have an enormous amount to offer from
the skiing and vineyards of Chile to cattle ranching
in Patagonia and learning to Tango in Buenos Aries
there are several experiences to attract a new visitor
to the region.
3) Experiences:
Driving a sports car around the Arctic Circle is
a combination of both an exciting new destination
as well as a new experience, likewise although the
Maldives might not be a new location, staying in a
hotel, which has an underwater bar makes it a new
and exciting destination. Similarly the Swiss Alps
are by no means a new destination, although spending
a weekend at the new luxurious and hi-tech Whitepod
Camp makes it a one of our potential top spots for
the 2006 ski season.
4) Trends
- Eco Islands - Off the back of recent natural
disasters and increased reports of destinations
which are suffering environmental damage due to
the mass invasion of visitors (such as coral reefs
in the Red Sea), there may well be a trend towards
eco friendly tourism and destinations such as the
eco islands in the Seychelles.
- Learning to do holidays / experiences / celebrity
interaction: The two biggest trends over the last
few years within the prize element of the promotions
and incentives industry has been the “experience
market” - a trend towards actually experiencing
something rather than just visiting a destination
- and secondly societies obsession with celebrities
and providing celebrity themed prizes and incentives.
These two areas are set to continue to grow in popularity
during 2006 and for this reason we have developed
a series of trips, which focus on combining the
two. These range from horse riding through Ecuador
with a former top jockey and learning to ski with
an ex Olympic skier to going on the set of a Hollywood
stunt sequence and learning to do stunts yourselves
and cooking with Anton Mosimann in Florence.
WHAT’S NOT
In addition to general trends in travel patterns
there are also considerations to take into account
in terms of both safety fears and / or natural disasters.
- Foreign Office Travel Dept.
Always check with the Foreign Office & Commonwealth
Dept. as they have an up to date list of destination
to avoid or take caution with. Several of these
are locations throughout the Middle East / North
Africa / Asia & Indonesia for more information
on specific destinations visit www.fco.gov.uk.
- Natural disasters
Areas which have either suffered from or are associated
with natural disasters, as recently witnessed in
the Indian Ocean (Tsunami) and Gulf of Mexico (New
Orleans / Houston) will see a drop in popularity
although it should be highlighted that many areas
around the Indian Ocean are already back up and
running or indeed weren’t affected at all.
- ENDS -
For further information,
please contact:
Jane Lowen, The Press Office, 01580 764721
jtlowen@aol.com
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