The luxury travel company Remote Lands has revealed the destinations in Asia that are set to draw visitors in from across the globe in 2018. As well as giving insight into where you should travel in the coming year, the Bangkok-based company’s travel specialists have created a series of new itineraries to take in each place on the list coined the ‘dozen dream destinations’ with cultural experiences along the way. Comprising a selection of Asia’s more remote destinations, the list places the focus on places that are experiencing growth and development in tourism through the arrival of new resorts and cultural experiences as well as greater accessibility.
South Vietnam has been included owing to the upcoming opening of two luxury resorts: the Marriott Phu Quoc, designed by renowned architect Bill Bensley, which will be the first luxury hotel on Phu Quoc Island, and the Azerai hotel, located on the Hau River islet. The environmentally and culturally unique nation of Kazakhstan comes next where new developments mean more travelers are making the journey here; while wild tigers are being reintroduced to the Ili-Balkhash region, summer saw the opening of the Ritz-Carlton in Astana, a city where a number of urban design projects are underway.
Another summer opening took place in Indonesia with the completion of Bawah Private Island, which sits within the Anambas archipelago, offering a new luxury hideaway with high eco-credentials. Bhutan has been attracting more tourists in recent years but 2018 will see the arrival of a new Six Senses resort spread across five separate locations so guests can move between. The focus in Sri Lanka then falls on the country’s southern coast owing to the opening of two new hotels, the five-star Wild Coast Tented Lodge Yala and Shangri-La Colombo.
South Korea finds a place on the list as PyeongChang prepares to host the Winter Olympics 2018, with several hotel openings taking place in anticipation of the big event. Jeju island has been playing a major part with resorts such as a Four Seasons resort slated to open here. And while Abu Dhabi has long been considered a gateway destination, it’s now coming into the spotlight as an exciting destination in its own right, with new cultural sites like the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The Unesco World Heritage city of Luang Prabang in Laos comes next having recently gone through a wave of restoration and renovation. Here you can stay at the new Rosewood Luang Prabang while seeking out the city’s new restaurants along with its cultural sights. With new travel connections, Mount Kailash in Tibet has become more accessible than ever before, and the Central Asian nation Turkmenistan is seeing the arrival of a series of luxury hotels, including Ashgabat Golf Club, which will feature a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The final two destinations within the selection are then Sujan Jawai in India where you can explore the countryside by open-air jeep and spot the leopards that live in caves of the surrounding mountains, and the Tohoku region of Japan, which is home to astounding natural beauty and a number of important cultural sites.
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Commenting on the release of the ‘dozen dream destinations’ and the creation of each destination’s new itineraries, Remote Lands co-founder and CEO Catherine Heald says: “Our discerning and well-traveled clientele are always looking for new places and experiences, and each year our team of travel experts scour the continent to offer these travelers new and exciting destinations that they may have otherwise overlooked. We curated our ‘dozen dream destinations’ for 2018 to include destinations that are largely undiscovered as well as those that are on the rise or are currently experiencing major development. Our personalized itineraries highlight the best of each destination and provide unique experiences and exclusive access beyond what would be available for the standard traveler.”
To find out more about each destination and the new itineraries, go over to remotelands.com.
Images: South Korea; Bhutan; India; Kazakhstan
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