15 January 2024 , 10:51
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We all love a holiday but 21st-century life does seem to have a knack of throwing obstacles in our way.
However, we are staying positive on the travel desk and looking forward to a great year of getaways in 2024. We reckon there’s something for everyone in the coming 12 months, so it’s time to start planning for a brilliant year of new and favourite destinations, staycations, fun days out and hopefully finding some great value too.
Safe travels wherever you go, here’s what we anticipate for heading away in 2024.
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Time to view Peru
The beautiful coastline of Lima in Peru (Shutterstock / Allen.G)Want the Daily Mirror's top travel stories and best deals straight to your inbox? Sign up to our free weekly newsletter
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One of South America’s most compelling countries is now easier to reach with LATAM Airlines’ new direct 13-hour Dreamliner service from Heathrow to Lima, typically saving three to four hours. For 2024, we expect more Brits to head to the vast city for its historic centre, excellent food scene and upscale clifftop Miraflores district overlooking the Pacific and with the 1,800-year-old Huaca Pucllana pyramid.
Then head off to discover the Andean magic of Machu Picchu, lofty Inca capital Cusco, the Sacred Valley and its scenic rail journey, along with Puerto Maldonado for exploring the Amazon rainforest and its wildlife. Trujillo’s sites from the Moche and Chimu civilisations, the mysterious Nazca Lines and Lake Titicaca with its unique reed boats are equally captivating.
- Return fares to Lima in 2024 start at £533. latamairlines.com
- More info: peru.travel
Turkey's a top choice
Turkey’s appeal continues to soar. Brits are now the country’s third largest inbound tourism market, with 3.16 million visitors between January and September, a 12% increase year on year. Next year, Turkey is set to overtake France as the second most popular European destination after Spain, according to a report from this year’s World Travel Market.
Bookings data for Thomas Cook showed Turkey rocketed up the charts as one of the UK’s most popular short-break destinations. Alanya and Side, fourth and ninth in the listings, offer excellent value for money.
Izmir, with its seaside location, lively bazaar quarter and blossoming wine region, scooped ninth in Lonely Planet’s best cities for 2024.
- More info: goturkiye.com
Wonderful Wales
There are many lovely walks in Wales (Shutterstock / jax10289)Wales has the wow factor thanks to its epic landscapes, outdoor adventures and creative communities – and there are plenty of ways to enjoy it in 2024.
Seven of the UK’s best walking routes are in Wales, according to new research from Which? Magazine. Rhossili Headland, Solva to St Davids, Beddgelert and Aberglaslyn, Mawddach Trail, Llangollen Canal Path, Pen y Fan, Corn Du and Llanberis Path offer some of the best coastal and countryside scenery.
Welsh whisky continues to gain recognition for its quality and Wales’s first Whisky Fest will take place at St George’s Hotel, Llandudno, from November 1-3.
With the growing trend of sporting events-inspired travel, Wales offers some of the most awe-inspiring backdrops including Slateman Triathlon & Duathlon, Llanberis, June 9; Sandman Triathlon & Duathlon at Newborough Forest, Anglesey, September 14 and 15; and Llandudno Triathlon & Duathlon, September 29.
- More info: visitwales.com
Bolder shoulder
Traditional July and August summer sunshine holidays abroad are being overtaken by beach and city breaks in May, June and October.
We expect this switch in dates to “shoulder season” spring, early summer and autumn to be driven in 2024 by budget-conscious Brits seeking better value away from the main school break season – and the fact that some people are also planning to take more holidays this year and simply need to fit them in.
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A study for travel association ABTA found that May and June will be the most popular months for foreign breaks in the next 12 months, with more than one in five (21%) Brits planning to travel then. They are just ahead of October (19%) and the traditional high summer holiday months July and August (both 17%).
The shift – especially in October when tour operators are busy extending their seasons – makes an awful lot of sense with some great value deals in generally less-crowded destinations and not so much of the fierce summer heat.
Easier Maldives
Each resort on the Maldives feels like it's on a private island (Getty Images)With swathes of powder-white sands, crystal-clear turquoise waters that are home to dazzling marine life, and coconut palms swaying in the tropical breeze, it’s no wonder the Maldives has taken the top spot as the most popular destination worldwide in a recent report from luxury brand Kuoni. And with only 200 out of the 1,000-plus isles that make up this idyllic Indian Ocean archipelago being inhabited, each resort is akin to a private island.
A popular dream escape for honeymooners, this destination is now seducing families and solo travellers, and Virgin Atlantic has made access easier after the October launch of its new seasonal route from Heathrow to Maldives Velana International Airport. Return fares from £785. virginatlantic.com
- More info: visitmaldives.com
Enticing Egypt
It’s been a 22-year journey from the first competition for the design, with numerous delays, but the magnificent Grand Egyptian Museum will finally fully open to the public in 2024. Near the Pyramids of Giza, the largest archaeological museum complex in the world is home to more than 100,000 artefacts including Tutankhamun’s entire treasure collection.
Low-cost flights to Cairo have started from Luton with easyJet (from £134 return). TUI is also going big on Egypt for 2024, with new holidays to Marsa Alam, the country’s most southerly sunshine resort, and in November, it will start five-star all-inclusive Nile river cruises from Luxor, taking in Aswan High Dam, Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Chartered flights will operate from Gatwick and Manchester.
- More info: visit-gem.com, easyjet.com, tui.co.uk
Hong Kong hospitality
Hong Kong is the home of high-end hospitality (Shutterstock / EarnestTse)The steady stream of visitors, following the lifting of Covid restrictions last year, is expected to turn into a flood this year, with international events such as the Hong Kong Sevens attracting the world’s greatest rugby players (April 5-7) and the Hong Kong international races on Sha Tin Racecourse well and truly back on the calendar.
Gearing up to welcome back tourists, hip hotel Mondrian Hong Kong opened last week in Tsim Sha Tsui, close to the new vibrant West Kowloon Cultural District (book.ennismore.com/hotels/mondrian/hong-kong). And a mile away, in Victoria Harbour, boutique hotel Kimpton Hong Kong is due to open in July on the site of the former Mariners’ Club. (ihg.com/kimptonhotels).
- More info: discoverhongkong.com
Luxe London
The capital’s appetite for ultra luxury hotels continues. Hot on the heels of last year’s notable launches – the Peninsula in Belgravia and the UK’s first Raffles hotel in the Old War Office on Whitehall – Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, the boutique sister to the Hyde Park outpost, is set to open on Hanover Square. Michelin-star Korean-American chef Akira Back will make his London debut, presiding over the hotel’s two cutting-edge restaurants. You can find out more at mandarinoriental.com/en/london/mayfair.
And luxe brand Six Senses will be bringing its world-renowned wellness programmes to London, opening its first UK property in the former Art Deco Whiteleys department store in Bayswater. The spa will house a beautiful 65ft indoor pool, Alchemy Bar and relaxation room with vaulted ceilings, while on the second floor, a social and wellness club will feature a restaurant, bar, lounge and treatment rooms. You can find out more at sixsenses.com/en.
Rail renaissance
The Orient Express is running a new route this year (AFP via Getty Images)Convenient, cost-effective and gentle on the carbon footprint, the popularity of train travel continues to rise and there are more exciting rail options hitting the tracks next year. After a four-year hiatus, iconic Eastern & Oriental Express will return in February, with two seasonal return trips out of Singapore that take in the landscapes of Malaysia.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express will take passengers on a coastal journey from Paris to Portofino for the very first time. Plus the luxurious Royal Scotsman train in Scotland will see the launch of two new Grand Suites.
Getting your beauty sleep between European cities is also now de rigueur. Austrian rail operator NightJet launched a new sleeper train service between Paris, Brussels and Berlin in December 2023 and Dutch-Belgian rail start-up European Sleeper has announced plans for a new night train between Amsterdam and Barcelona.
- More info: belmond.com, nightjet.com, europeansleeper.eu
Greener cruise
We’re not necessarily saying you’ll choose a cruise just because it’s more eco-friendly, but it’s nice to know the industry is making a huge effort to have less impact on the oceans and places visited.
Examples this year will include ever more ships using cleaner-burning LNG (liquified natural gas) for propulsion, leading to a 95-100% reduction in particulate emissions and up to 20% less greenhouse gas emissions. Shore power will be more extensively used where available with ships on electricity in ports, rather than their diesel engines.
Also widespread is eliminating single-use plastics, the use of advanced waste-water treatment systems, responsible food sourcing and biodigesters that mix oxygen, water and microorganisms to break down and liquify uneaten food to “grey” water which can be used in, for example, toilet flushing or is clean enough to discharge.
Staying with food, plant-based dining is on the up at sea and we were impressed by Green & Co Feat Mizuhana on board P&O’s Arvia and Virgin Voyages’ Razzle Dazzle.
- More info: cruising.org/en-gb/environmental-sustainability