Feature Hottest destinations
Hotspots to watch
A look at destinations that make Asian travel experts’ wow list for 2019
From left: houseboat in Kerala backwaters; Saint
Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
to the Great Barrier Reef. Two-thirds of
the island is the national park, housing
nearly 25km of amazing walking trails.
The island comprises everything from
luxury self-contained accommodation to
backpacker hostels, plus many activities
ranging from boat trips and guided tours
to golf, diving and horse riding.
INBOUND
Renato Domini, CEO, Panorama
Destination Indonesia
A destination to watch would be Labuan
Bajo on Flores island. We are seeing a sig-
nificant growth in interest for the destina-
tion, largely due to the wealth of amazing
landscapes, spectacular scenery, unique
cultures, otherworldly wildlife and beauti-
ful beaches to be found on the surround-
ing islands, not least the natural wonders
of nearby Komodo National Park.
Ally Bhoonee, executive director, World
Avenues, Malaysia
Langkawi sees strong demand for tourists
looking for beach stays. Adding to its al-
lure is the availability of all categories of
hotels, lovely beaches, and abundance of
sea and land-based attractions for families
such as cable car ride, crocodile farm, buf-
falo farm and ziplining through the rain-
forest. Payar Island in Langkawi is also
very popular for snorkelling and diving.
Pirach Hansrisuk, CEO, 5H Tour, Thailand
Khao Yai will be a hot destination next
year, especially among South-east Asian
tourists. A two-hour drive from Bangkok,
Khao Yai features beautiful landscapes
particularly in the rainy season, and tour-
ism booms during winter. Local hotels,
attractions and tourism-related activities
have been well developed and are ready to
welcome foreign visitors.
Edwin Briels, managing director, Khiri
Travel Myanmar
Southern Rakhine state will become more
popular with the Arakan Nature Lodge’s
recent opening, especially as Ngapali
Beach is already offering one of the best
beach experiences in South-east Asia. The
opening of Wa Ale Resort in October 2018
and the upcoming launch of Awei Pila en-
sure Mergui Archipelago now offers top
luxury accommodation.
Joseph Sze, senior project director, Siam
Express Singapore
Tiong Bahru is getting popular with the
Chinese market, as Chinese FITs and fam-
ilies have been researching places to eat
and explore in Singapore. Tiong Bahru fits
in with Singapore Tourism Board’s Pas-
sion Made Possible brand, which has also
helped translate and present the neigh-
bourhood’s story to visitors.
Arun Anand, managing director, Midtown
Travels, India
Kerala. The state has bounced back from
the floods in terms of restoration of the
connectivity, infrastructure and tourism
experiences. The state government, and
the local tourism and hospitality stake-
From left: Komodo Island, Indonesia; locals in Uzbekistan; Khao Yai National Park in Thailand
holders, are aggressively promoting the
destination. Through these efforts, we are
expecting a healthy number of enquiries
from our foreign tour operator partners
for Kerala in 2019.
Ronni Dalhoff, managing director of
Diethelm Travel (Cambodia)
The riverside town of Kampot and nearby
coastal resort of Kep are becoming tourism
hotspots as interest shifts from Sihanouk-
ville. Many places in these destinations are
now seeing high occupancy so we would
like to see more four-star and mid-range
accommodation in these areas to be able to
offer a more rounded package.
Ronald Wu, director of sales and market-
ing, Gray Line Tours of Hong Kong
The world’s longest bridge-cum-tunnel
sea-crossing, the 55km Hong Kong-
Zhuhai-Macau Bridge linking northern
Lantau to the western shore of Pearl River
Estuary is an architectural wonder and
attraction. Apart from driving across the
mega structure, visitors can also view it
from a boat.
Amber Halleday, mobile travel advisor,
Mobile Travel Agents, Australia
Only 25 minutes by ferry from Townsville,
North Queensland, lies the Magnetic Is-
land. It has secluded beaches, crystal clear
waters, abundant wildlife and easy access
Devindre Senaratne, managing director
Journey Scapes Travel, Sri Lanka
Sigiriya, where the famous rock fortress
built by an ancient king is located, is
gaining prominence over other locations
in Sri Lanka. It is where you can see the
largest land mammal (elephant) at a wild-
life park, and the largest mammal (blue
whale) on the shores off the eastern town
of Trincomalee.
Kevin Hinahon, marketing and sales
manager, Travel Experts, Philippines
Boracay. The island has always been the
country’s most sought-after destination
and next year won’t be any different. It
has tickled the curiosity of both foreign
and local tourists as to what improve-
ments took place during its six-month
rehabilitation. The hubbub of complex
issues, although unintentional, proved to
be an excellent publicity stunt, especially
prior to Boracay’s October 26 reopening,
as evidenced by the crowd and demand
curve.
Avi Lugasi, owner and managing
director, Windows to Japan
We are expecting a very busy 2019 thanks
to the Rugby World Cup, even though
Kyoto – where we are based – is not host-
ing any matches. We are very close to Osa-
ka and fans will inevitably want to come
here on days when there are no games.