Travel Trends in 2012

Travel trends in 2012.

I can see it now. The travel crystal ball for 2012 shows amazing destinations, interesting price trends and, wait, is that Myanmar? Here’s a look at where travel is headed this year - what’s hot, what things will cost and must-dos for people who want to be on the cutting edge.

Hot destinations for 2012:
Uganda
Myanmar (Burma)
Ukraine
Jordan
Denmark

Best deals:
Costa Rica - still cheap
Japan - needs visitors
Mediterranean - ship glut
Orlando - many deals
Thailand - still cheap

Don’t go here:
Syria. Danger and conflict destroyed fragile tourism efforts

Or here, either:
Republic of South Sudan
Cote d’Ivoire
Afghanistan
North Korea
Iran
Iraq

Trending up:
Indonesia
Ghana
Malaysia
Nepal
Romania
Iceland
Abu Dhabi

Lodging fads:
Women-only hotel floors
Renting out your backyard to travellers

In-crowd hangouts:
Sri Lanka
Toronto
St. Vincent / Grenadines
Guimarães, Portugal
Abu Dhabi
Costa Navarino, Greece
Xishuangbanna, China

Cost of U.S. travel:
Coach airfare: Will go up 2 percent-5 percent
Business class: Will go up 5 percent-7 percent
Car rentals: Will go down as much as 1 percent
Hotel rates: Will go up 1.5 percent-6.5 percent

We plan most trips:
4 or fewer weeks ahead: 21 percent
5-7 weeks ahead: 15 percent
8 or more weeks ahead: 64 percent

Be the first on your block:
Try this tour: "Forgotten Corner of South America" - Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, 19 days, Geographic Expeditions (www.geoex.com)

On the horizon:
Toronto: Construction of a rail link between Pearson International Airport and downtown’s Union Station starts in the spring and should be complete by 2015, when Toronto hosts the Pan Am Games.
Las Vegas: Construction of an entertainment complex, Linq, featuring the High Roller (a 550-foot wheel like the London Eye) is supposed to get under way any day now on the Strip near the Flamingo. It’s expected to be finished in 2013.

Splendid but few tourists:
Russia. Despite the Hermitage, palaces, incredible history and architecture in Moscow and St. Petersburg, tourism is lacklustre. Visit now before the Winter Olympics in 2014 makes it a hot destination.

Travel trends for this year:
"Ends of the Earth" journeys to remote destinations
Personal growth trips
Ancestral travel - discover your heritage

Boom! In 2012:
It’s the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, plus the continuing Civil War sesquicentennial in the U.S.. Look for trips and commemorations galore.

Read more at http://www.canada.com/travel/Travel+trends+2012/6002526/story.html

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