JUSTINE LALLY
Head of marketing, APT, tour and cruise operator
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Exploring the Kimberley from all vistas – both inland and by cruising the coast
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Sri Lanka for its amazing food, temples and spa retreats
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Japan. Avoid the busy cherry blossom season and go during the crimson autumn season – it's just as colourful and spectacular.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Demand for the very best in luxury travel is increasing rapidly, from Business Class airline seats to the best suites in hotels and on cruise ships. As a result travellers will need plan ahead and book earlier if they want to secure their seat or suite of choice.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
A booking rush to Iceland – black volcanoes, blue lagoons and the Northern Lights are just a few reasons to head to your travel agent to find out more.
SUJATA RAMAN
Regional managing director, Abercrombie & Kent, running luxury escapes, safaris, family holidays, small group tours and cruises
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Hyper-personal experiences. Travellers increasingly want to be immersed in a destination, rather than passive voyeurs, and are seeking experiences beyond those described in the guide books. This could be a behind-the-scenes opportunity, or a local encounter, like an A&K after-hours visit to St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, or a poignant tour of South Africa's Robben Island including a meeting with one of Nelson Mandela's jailors.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
The Silk Road in China from Beijing to Kashgar, leading a small group journey in September.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Iceland. It's a visually arresting year-round destination. Visiting in summer means a Midnight Sun experience, while winter delivers the extraordinary Northern Lights.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Global turmoil and the resulting need for flexibility from a trusted travel provider. An established company with broad expertise and a wide range of destinations can deliver the necessary choices and back-up when a situation presents itself.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
Everyone is talking about the Millennial generation, but in fact grandparents are going to be the major drivers of travel decisions funding multi-generational holidays and travel experiences from safaris and expeditionary cruises to island hideaways and tailored cultural getaways.
JULIE MCINTOSH
Founder and director, The Classic Safari Company, running safaris around Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Latin America and beyond
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Seeing forever diminishing African wildlife.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Africa for a sabbatical with my daughter – all part of The Classic Safari Company's 25th anniversary celebrations. I will be exploring the unexplored South Africa, basing myself out of Cape Town and will be sharing a horse ride in the Okavango Delta with friends and family. That will be followed by visits to Zambia as part of a 20th anniversary and memorial trip to my late husband William Ruck Keene who founded both the luxury safari lodge Tongabezi, by the Victoria Falls, and the Sausage Tree Camp in the Lower Zambezi National Park at a time when tourism to Zambia was almost unheard of.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Africa. It's a stunning continent offering so many life-changing sights and experiences.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Supporting tourism to Africa in order to preserve it. In my nine-year-old daughter's lifetime the elephant population has diminished by a third, according to a recent survey. This is a tragic trajectory.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
A rise in spontaneity. People are booking to do quite extraordinary things last minute! That's a definite trend we are seeing. Is it because the world is so much more instant in what we do and how we do it?
DARREN WRIGHT
General manager product and advertising, Flight Centre Travel Group, travel company and Australia's largest retail travel outlet
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Virtual reality. Customers in several of our stores across Australia can put on virtual reality goggles so they can see and experience a destination before they go. It's not a substitute for travelling there; it's more of a warm-up. It also enables our Cruiseabout clients to do tours of a ship and see the rooms with a 360-degree view to choose what they want.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Samoa to surf. It has some of the best surfing in the world but it's still quite remote, off the beaten track and untouristy, and it has some new surf resorts.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Croatia, to sail. It's an absolutely amazing country and the sailing is incredible. You can get off the boat so easily to go into small villages and experience the food and culture.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Deciding which destination to visit. The pricing at the moment is astonishing, we're calling it The Golden Age of Travel. Fuel prices have dropped so airlines are discounting.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
Return flights to Europe from under $599. It's going to be the year of deals, with fuel down, a lot of seat capacity, competition strong and new entrants on the Europe route like Scoot.
PHIL ASKER
Founder and director, Captain's Choice, offering all-inclusive fully escorted travel around the world
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
For Captain's Choice, it is launching a greatly enhanced 2018 private jet program to some new and amazing destinations.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Iran and the Silk Road aboard one of my favourite trains, the Golden Eagle, as well as back to New Caledonia with family and a rail-focused tour of South America.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Places likely to change – Cuba, Myanmar, Romania and Bulgaria, plus all the former Yugoslav republics and Albania.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
The boom in travel. It's led to many new ships, planes and hotels being constructed, while fares of under $1000 to Europe show that airlines and others are facing losses from overcapacity. It is a buyers' market in 2017!
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
Expedition shipping will become even more popular as long-awaited new ships hit the seas offering more choice and more luxury.
DENNIS BUNNIK
Managing director, Bunnik Tours, specialising in holiday packages and small group tours
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Engaging with your travel destination through experiences and taking the time to stop and just soak it all in. The days of ticking off sights are over.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. I've never been to that part of Africa before and seeing the mountain gorillas has long been on my bucket-list as has been going to the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. I'll be filming a whole lot of YouTube videos for tours.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
South America and Egypt. South America went through a bit of a downturn because people wanted to avoid the Olympics in Rio but now Machu Picchu, the Iguazu Falls, the Amazon jungle et al beckon. And you should go to The Nile, the temples, the pyramids and the wonderful Egyptian people before the crowds return.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Combating the perceptions of fear and division created by uneducated politicians and (some parts of) the media. It's an amazing world out there and those that discover it are richer for the experience.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
Travellers will become more resilient and understand you stand more chance of getting injured by falling over while drunk than you do from terrorist attacks. People are now getting more immune to politicians' rhetoric about terrorism and realising the biggest risks are of traffic accidents, food poisoning and being robbed rather than being caught up in anything terrorism-related.
JOHN GUSCIC
Managing director travel booking website Webjet, with flights, hotels, cruises, travel packages and insurance
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
For the Australian traveller, a major change will be the introduction of low-cost airline flights to Europe. The already low prices for international travel are about to go lower. For example, Scoot have announced their inaugural flight from Perth to Athens via Singapore, commencing June 20, 2017, and at $774 return per person, it is really opening up the world for everyone to experience the wonder of travel.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Professionally, I will be spending time with our teams in regional offices throughout the globe in New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, Spain, the UK, and the US – to name a few. But in my time off, I plan to explore more of the Mediterranean for the great culture, weather and food.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Sri Lanka. With peaceful beaches, ancient ruins, stunning mountains, delicious street food and a plethora of natural wonders, it's definitely one for 2017 travel. The hospitality of the Sri Lankan people is a real standout and it's an ideal destination or stopover to get a real flavour of where east meets west.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
With so many cheap flights available to so many global destinations, the biggest issue is simply deciding where to start.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
That this will be the year of the death of the travel selfie. (We can hope, can't we?)
Adam Armstrong, managing director, cruising company Royal Caribbean (Australia & New Zealand)
THE BIGGEST THING IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Ovation of the Seas. Launched in May this year, the US$1 billion Ovation of the Seas will be the first new ship to be based in Australia and introduces a whole new way to holiday – what we have dubbed SuperCruising. She's the fourth biggest cruise ship in the world and boasts an array of experiences that have never been seen at sea like the 90-metre tall North Star observation capsule, iFly skydiving at sea, a FlowRider surf machine, the robotic Bionic Bar, bumper cars, a circus school, 18 different dining options plus the fastest internet on the ocean.
IN 2017 I'LL BE HEADING TO
Croatia and the Greek Islands.
IN 2017 YOU SHOULD BE HEADING TO
Japan. My hot tip is that Japan is going to have its moment in 2017. So many unique destinations, amazing food, spectacular scenery and a cultural vibe unlike anywhere else in the world. And what's more, Japan is almost completely accessible by sea, which makes cruising the way to go.
THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN TRAVEL IN 2017 WILL BE
Fear. Bad news travels fast but the chance of something going terribly wrong for travellers is very small. Statistically speaking, travel has never been safer.
MY MOST FEARLESS TRAVEL PREDICTION FOR 2017 IS
We'll see Europe bouncing back. This year has been a tough one, but all the signs are pointing to a very healthy 2017. Australians are adventurous and Europe is resilient.
