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From wellness to winter sports, a world of choice

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Lefay Resort & Spa ... a unique wellness destination on the banks of Lake Garda

The Middle East is the world’s fastest-growing outbound travel market, having witnessed a 9 per cent increase in outbound trips over the first eight months of 2015, confirm the latest findings from the ITB World Travel Trends Report in collaboration with IPK World Travel Monitor.

The report also finds that besides Saudi Arabia, the UAE is the most attractive outbound market in the region. Both markets are characterised by high spending per person per night (about $220) and long trips, starting from 14 nights (with 30 per cent lasting 16 nights or more).

Many UAE residents have about 30 to 40 days a year available for holidays and often go on two or three trips a year, including one major international trip outside the region. About 50 per cent of younger international travellers are under the age of 34. Furthermore, close to one-third of trips are made with children. More than 30 per cent of outbound trips from the region are taken by immigrants with residence and work licences in the Middle East, mostly travelling abroad to visit friends and relatives.

With a high proportion of young couples, families and also more women travelling from the region, entertainment, shopping and other leisure activities are popular destination activities.

Health-related travel is also a notable trend with well-off Arabs often going on long trips for medical purposes, accompanied by a large number of family members. In addition, Arabian tourists often book serviced apartments, for example, where a maid does the cooking and cleaning.

Healthy dining at One Aldwych London

Emirates-based travellers like to escape the summer heat and about 60 per cent go on international trips in the summer months compared to the winter season. These trends are all likely to continue into the year ahead.

With these trends in mind, TTN puts together some hotels for you to consider for your clients in 2016:


WELLNESS

Lefay Resort & Spa

Where: Gargnano, a picturesque village on the banks of Lake Garda, Italy

Nearby airports: Brescia and Verona

What to expect: A unique destination focused on wellness.

An eco-resort based on a modern reinterpretation of the traditional notion of luxury, Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda is situated inside an 11-hectare natural park in Gargnano, one of the most picturesque villages on the Lake Garda. The resort is surrounded by gentle hills and natural terraces rich in olive trees and woods overlooking the lake.

A perfect destination for a relaxed holiday, the eco-resort features 93 suites, ranging from 49 sq m to 600 sq m, as well as the Lefay Spa, which offers swimming pools and saunas, a fitness studio and an outdoor area equipped for sporting activities.

The 3,000-sq-m spa offers 70 signature treatments, combining the principles of classical Chinese medicine with western scientific research, as well as numerous wellness programmes for different ailments and three swimming pools – an indoor pool, outdoor pool and an infinity pool.


Ariana Sustainable Luxury Lodge

Where: Top of the Uchisar Valley, overlooking Cappadocia, ancient Anatolia, Turkey

Nearby airports: Nevsehir, Kayseri

What to expect: Holistic living coupled with fascinating archaeology.

Focusing on sustainability, Ariana Luxury Lodge provides a deluxe guest experience atop the Uchisar Valley in Cappadocia, Turkey; a land that witnessed the rise of the first civilisations in world history. Nearby points of interest include the Goreme open air museum, Kaymakli underground city, Uchisar Citadel and Avanos.

Enjoy mountain-style cosy love nests at La Mourra Hotel Village in the South East of France

Integrating advanced environmental technologies to minimise impacts of construction and design, the resort features deluxe suites converted from caves on the side of a hill as well as individual new-build suites.

The resort is an archaeological treasure, with bits and pieces from the heritage land incorporated into the architectural design, infusing history into luxury living.

Set against a backdrop of a hot air balloon-filled sky, the sustainable resort features 11 luxury suites of which five are deluxe cave rooms, as well as an on-site culinary terrace, private leisure decks and a boutique workout room, among other things.


CITY DWELLINGS

Evok Hotels Collection

Where: The iconic Avenue de l’Opéra, Paris, France

Nearby Airports: Charles de Gaulle and Orly

What to expect: A Parisian stay-at-home experience.

Combining architectural passion and the French art of living, Evok Hotels Collection will open the Nijinski Paris in June 2016.

Designed by Jean-Louis Deniot, the hotel will feature 45 rooms and suites inspired by a contemporary Parisian apartment.

The property will also feature a beautiful French brasserie opening to the outside, a club-style library/piano room, where gallery exhibitions or private concerts can be organised, and a spa which will be equipped with a swimming pool, two treatment rooms and a fitness centre.

Evok Hotels also plans to open another hotel, Kross, near Eiffel Tower in September 2017. The newly established hospitality chain currently operates the Hameau de la Volière, a set of three luxury chalets in Courchevel 1850.


One Aldwych

Where: Covent Garden, London, UK

Nearby Airports: London City, Heathrow, Gatwick

What to expect: An innovative turn on healthy cuisine in the heart of London.

Offering the quintessential British experience, One Aldwych is located in the centre of Convent Garden London’s world-class destination for lovers of culture, fashion and food. Guests can explore nearby galleries and exhibitions, shopping markets, operas and more.

Showcasing innovative and thoughtful food, courtesy of executive chef Dominic Teague, the Indigo menu at One Aldwych incorporates the finest seasonal ingredients carefully sourced from the British Isles and also happens to be entirely gluten- and dairy-free. While the menu has an undeniably healthy appeal, it also features substantial dishes to satisfy the heartiest of appetites.

The hotel also has a private contemporary collection of over 400 pieces of art. From exciting sculptures in the Lobby Bar to original works in every room, the collection will appeal to art enthusiasts staying at the property.


SKI BREAKS

La Mourra Hotel Village

Where: Val-d’Isère in South East France (near the Italian border)

Nearby airports: Meribel, Turin

What to expect: Private chalets with indoor spa and pool.

Built as a mountain hamlet, La Mourra offers guests mountain-style cosy love nests with three private chalets, ranging from five-bedrooms to seven-bedrooms.

Each of the chalets come with en-suite bathrooms as well as a private indoor spa with indoor swimming pool, steam room, sauna and massage cabin.

The property also features one restaurant serving warm comfort food in the blaring winter cold.


Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

Where: St Moritz, Switzerland

Nearby airports: Engandin, Zurich

What to expect: An-award winning winter experience at the top of the world.

Completely refurbished in December 2007, Carlton Hotel in St Moritz was built in 1913 and now features 60 Junior Suites and Suites, all with views of the lake of St Moritz and the picturesque Upper Engadin beyond. There are two restaurants and a bar and a kids’ club with a new and refreshed agenda as well as a club for teenagers.

Winner of ‘Switzerland’s Best Ski Hotel’ title at The World Ski Awards for the third year in a row this year, the boutique hotel offers access to St Moritz’s Olympic ski runs, snowboarding, ice skating, cross-country skiing, sledging, winter hiking and even the odd cricket match.

'The award is a fantastic endorsement,' says Dominic Bachofen, the hotel’s director, 'especially because those voting were drawn not only from the industry – travel agency staff from all over the world, for instance – but also from among the guests themselves.'


With inputs from Nikita Philip 

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