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&nbsp;Paris, Venice, and New York City often come to mind when talking about Valentine’s Day trip ideas. But what if your clients are expecting you to propose some more creative destinations this year? From African safari holidays to lantern-lit boat rides in Asia, we picked six romantic destinations across four continents that are beyond the tourist hot spots.&nbsp;Don't forget, you can take advantage of&nbsp;our global portfolio, including over 250,000 hotels in 170+ trending destinations worldwide. Not to mention 23,000+ experiences to enrich your clients' time in their destination of choice, to easily make their trip extra special.&nbsp;Sign up now&nbsp;or log in to your Hotelbeds account to access our global portfolio and delight travellers no matter their preferences.&nbsp;But for now, let's take a look at some of the best Valentine's Day destinations...&nbsp;Hoi An, VietnamVietnam experiences its dry season from December to May, so in February, you’re in for a sunny Valentine’s Day.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To make the most of the beautiful weather, book the half-day Hoi An Vespa tour. From meeting local farmers in rural Vietnam to seeing rice wine breweries, this tour unlocks an authentic experience. Back in the city, the UNESCO-preserved Hoi An Ancient Town has Chinese, Japanese, and European influences. The Japanese Covered Bridge, the Cantonese Assembly Hall, and the colonial building of Hoi An Museum of History and Culture are great examples of each style of architecture.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hoi An truly shines at night, with thousands of lanterns lighting up the streets and the river. With an evening boat ride, visitors can experience this romantic atmosphere with their other half. Through this unique experience, they can ride boats, take colourful photos, and release lanterns into the water as a part of the monthly Hoi An Lantern Festival.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anthony Bourdain once described Hoi An’s bánh mì as a “symphony in a sandwich.” If food is your clients’ love language, tell them they’re in the right city, and suggest a cooking class or a half-day street food tour.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Santa Fe, USAFor a refreshing wellness retreat, look no further than Santa Fe, New Mexico. The city’s spiritual atmosphere combined with Native American wellness techniques will take couples on a relaxing journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Many premium spas, including Ojo Spa Resorts, Nidah Spa, or Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado offer couples packages including a romantic room, private hot tubs, wine, and chocolate - all of which can be booked in our Booking Engine! For the ultimate experience, book a couples massage and let your clients relax with the diverse massage techniques, essential oils, and Himalayan salt stones.&nbsp;&nbsp;While wellness is a major highlight, Santa Fe’s art and restaurant scenes are very much alive in February. As the first UNESCO Creative City in the US, Santa Fe hosts the Art + Sol Winter Festival in February, where visitors enjoy ballets, operas, and art galleries. Right after Valentine’s Day, the 19th of February marks the start of Santa Fe Restaurant Week, celebrating the city’s extensive dining options.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rovaniemi, FinlandAccording to experts, recent years are some of the best to see the Aurora Borealis as the solar activity has reached the 'solar maximum', with last year as one of the best for displays! The Aurora Borealis has also been seen as far south as Europe, suggesting that this magnificent phenomena is becoming more accessible. However, there's nothing quite like journeying to parts of the world where their true splendour can be enjoyed. The lights are best seen in winter months, so the odds are in your clients' favour to see the Northern Lights in Finland this Valentine’s Day.&nbsp;&nbsp;In Rovaniemi, the capital of the Lapland region in Finland, the Northern Lights are visible 150 nights a year until March. The best part? Couples can spot them from the comfort of a cosy glass igloo. Inside, guests get a 360-degree view of the sky, showcasing twinkling stars and the Northern Lights as they appear in green, purple, and pink hues.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Glass igloos are comfortable and warm but they won’t be enough for adventurous travellers. With the Arctic Circle – Northern Lights Hunting by Minibus or Aurora Borealis, Snowmobile Safari, and BBQ tours, crown the romantic moments in the igloo with exciting memories outside.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Besides the Northern Lights, Finland is also known for its traditional sauna experience with special rituals, which has been a part of UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List since 2020. Book a sauna day for your clients to discover if this is the secret of the world’s happiest country.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dolomites, ItalyThe Dolomites boost a rich wine scene, delicious food, and romantic experiences like other Italian destinations, minus the tourist crowds.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Start the trip with Bolzano, the capital city of the South Tyrol region. Overlooking the majestic Alpine landscapes, this charming city blends Italian and Austrian cultures. Your clients will see it first-hand in the Bolzano Private Walking Tour as they visit landmarks like Piazza Walther and the Dome of Bolzano.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Less than an hour away from Bolzano, there are 49 Michelin-recommended restaurants for couples to have a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day. Besides regional cuisine, you can find a wide range of Alpine restaurants, seafood places, and contemporary eateries.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the next few days, we recommend renting a car and heading north toward Brunico, while making some stops along the way. A visit to the Neustift Abbey is a must — active since 1142, this place hosts one of the oldest wineries in the world. After tasting the historical wines of the region, suggest Chiusa for a blend of art and nature, and end the trip at a ski resort at Brunico.&nbsp;&nbsp;Okinawa, JapanWinter months are considered off-season in Okinawa but the beautiful archipelago is still worth a visit, especially for its romantic sunsets, beautiful nature, and laid-back atmosphere.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cherry blossoms start in early February, adding a pink touch to historical sites such as Nakijin Castle Ruins. Although an off-season for tourism, February is the peak season for an experience like no other: whale watching. Book a boat trip to Kerama Islands where your clients will see humpback whales jumping high up the water.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Okinawa has picture-perfect sunsets, no matter what season it may be. Consider organising a romantic sunset tour for your clients to take in the beautiful atmosphere. Over the next few days, book a cooking class or a food tour to uncover Okinawa’s traditional food. Dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawan cuisine has Japanese, Chinese, and Southeast Asian influences, different from what you would have in mainland Japan. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Serengeti National Park, TanzaniaSafari in the Serengeti National Park is on the bucket list of many travellers. For Valentine’s Day, couples can make this dream come true and treat themselves with the park’s luxury accommodation options.&nbsp;&nbsp;Between January and February, visitors get to see the Great Migration and calving, which makes the safari even more special. For accommodation, consider a luxury safari lodge, overlooking the vast landscape of Serengeti. On some days, your clients might be able to spot the Big 5 (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and African buffalos) roaming right outside their lodge!&nbsp;&nbsp;Alternatively, booking a campsite or a tent offers a true connection with nature, as couples sleep underneath the twinkling stars. Besides the Big 5, there’s a high chance of seeing zebras, birds, and wildebeest during the safari. Remind your clients to pack their cameras, as they’re about to make some of the most special memories of their lives. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The pristine beaches of Zanzibar are only a short flight away from Kilimanjaro International Airport near Serengeti. Let your clients know that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to end after the safari, and offer to book some flights.&nbsp;&nbsp;Have you seen somewhere your clients would like?&nbsp;&nbsp;Sign up to become one of Hotelbeds' valuable partners, or log in to your Hotelbeds account now and offer them the best Valentine’s Day yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Paris, Venice, and New York City often come to mind when talking about Valentine’s Day trip ideas. But what if your clients are expecting you to propose some more creative destinations this year? From African safari holidays to lantern-lit boat rides in Asia, we picked six romantic destinations across four continents that are beyond the tourist hot spots.

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The Best Destinations For Valentine's Day

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Key 2024 Events Calendar For Travel Distributors 

&nbsp;Within any sphere of travel it’s important to understand where audiences are looking to go, what they want from their experience, and how their needs are changing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To keep ahead of the curve, it’s important to re-evaluate what was once considered ‘luxury’ travel, as many of today’s travellers are moving away from purely exclusive resorts and disconnected retreats. And despite the fact that many countries are experiencing financial crises, the demand for luxury travel is anticipated to be ‘higher than ever’ in the next five years.&nbsp;What Luxury Travellers Want&nbsp;Here are just a couple of key insights into what luxury travellers are looking for from their trips include:&nbsp;&nbsp;To ‘get under the skin’ of a destination.An increasing focus on exploring hidden gems, activities, and neighbourhoods - what GlobeTrender calls ‘Gamma Destinations’&nbsp;With this in mind, we take a closer look at some of the most notable current and upcoming trends within the luxury travel sphere, what opportunities these present and how Hotelbeds are ideally positioned to offer hotels access to travellers within this segment.&nbsp;More Conscious LuxuryGiven that one of the prerequisites of luxury travel is a closer, ‘exclusive’ look at a destination of choice, there are many overlapping similarities between luxury travel and conscious travel. This intersection can be more clearly seen when we look at a few aspects of the ‘hierarchy of needs of the luxury traveller’:&nbsp;Indulgent Experience (meets/exceeds)Authentic Experience (cultural, not mass travel)&nbsp;This narrative shift towards conscious travel, where authenticity is becoming more highly priced than ‘pan-global luxury’ is apparent across the travel industry as a whole, however with regards to luxury travel and what travellers are looking for from their experience, there are key considerations for the hospitality industry - particularly, the need for green initiatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mostly, the importance of offering sustainable accommodation for consciously minded luxury travellers is never more apparent, in order to remain relevant within a market whose definition is rapidly changing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), at Hotelbeds we understand how critical it is to remain successful, but for the industry as a whole to shift towards conscious travel. Our Sustainable Hotels Programme and Plastic-Free initiative are just two of the ways that we’re responding to the very real demand from environmentally conscious travellers, offering simple and effective tools for our travel trade clients to not only make green choices in how they’re selling experiences and hotels to end travellers, but to make positive change within the industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sign up to join our network of thousands of travel distributors to help attract the right guest at the right time today.&nbsp;The Re-Emergence of China&nbsp;Even though it will take time for China to be fully reinstated into the world travel market, the growing wealth across the region is a promising sign for outbound travel growth.&nbsp;&nbsp;The reopening of China's tourism industry presents a wonderful opportunity for the growth of luxury travel. With the affluent demographics of Asia showing a strong demand for this style of travel, we can expect a massive outbound source market to emerge in the next few years.&nbsp;As a global travel partner with a vast network of travel distributors, as well as valuable ancillaries for end travellers to enrich their trips, we’re ideally positioned to not only increase the visibility of our partners’ hotel(s) through a non-competing distribution channel, but also to a group of guests who:&nbsp;Have longer lead times than other distribution channels.Cancel less often - for example, the cancellation rate for European hotels during FY22 was 31% when booked through our distribution channel, compared to the 65.5% seen in OTA bookings.Largely belong to long-haul markets.&nbsp;We offer all our clients access to fast-growing travel segments even in the most hard-to-reach spaces, while our cloud-based technology platforms provide fast, simple access to a network of global travel products to curate your clients’ bespoke travel plans. Put simply, working with us at Hotelbeds puts you in the right position to access some of the most valuable travel segments out there.&nbsp;Sign up today to join our Hotelbeds network and scale your offerings.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pay Attention To Generation Alpha&nbsp;A recent study from Globetrender highlighted this trend, revealing that these families are not afraid to spend big and travel far. The study also predicted a substantial hike in family trips, estimating an increase of 185% between 2021 and 2022, which we anticipate will carry far beyond this year. As we look ahead to the next few years, it is safe to assume that luxury travel will see a sharp and sustained increase, particularly among wealthy families.&nbsp;And as a passive but young demographic, Gen Alpha is reliant on their Millennial parents to spend for them, which means:&nbsp;Millennial travellers will be looking to accommodate their children - an increasingly influential and young demographic accustomed to regular travel and the digital era.Luxury travel and luxury familial experiences may change as a result - from the rise of parent-child bonding trips to the increase in long-haul adventure trips, the way that luxury families go on holiday is changing.&nbsp;It's essential to recognise the changing face of the modern family and adapt your offerings accordingly. For instance, in the UK, many families are led by single parents, around 90% of which are women. So, it's vital to question your preconceived notions about family travel and make sure your offerings meet the diverse needs of today's travellers. But what is clear is that there is no better time to cater for the elite and their younger generations.&nbsp;‘Premium’ Travel As One To Watch‘Premium’ travel has many names, but this segment can mostly be identified by where travellers sit on the plane - namely, those at the front. And while the premium segment may not be quite the same as luxury, the motivations, needs and travel styles are in a similar vein, so travel distributors would be remiss to discredit the growing opportunity that premium travellers present. Travel analytics companies like Forward Keys, in fact, have outlined premium travel as one to watch.&nbsp;Recent insights suggest that the premium travel segment is recovering much faster than the economy segment. Interestingly, premium travellers also:Travel more regularly than economy travellers.Spend more than average once in their destination of choice.Stay for longer durations in their chosen destinations each time.&nbsp;In fact, premium segment travellers in America had stayed 14% longer compared to 2019 levels, with particular growth within small groups and families.&nbsp;&nbsp;What opportunities does this present for hoteliers?This is a rapidly growing segment of travellers who are willing to spend more in-destination, stay longer, and travel more frequently than those in the economy segment. So this means that recovery, in terms of revenue, is happening faster than visitor numbers, which is great news for host destinations and also great news for hotel owners looking to make the most of a high-spend, high-frequency traveller.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Rise of High-Impact ConservationAs suggested in our article detailing some of the top travel trends for 2023, high-impact conservation remains another exciting opportunity within the luxury travel segment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pelorus, a provider of luxury trips, noted that many high-net-worth travellers are no longer impressed by the type of excess that ‘luxury travel’ used to once mean, and that luxury is becoming more about the privilege of contributing to preserving and protecting the world’s environments. From spending time with marine biologists to joining conservationist efforts in Africa, the ultra-wealthy are beginning to fund experiences that make a tangible difference to the climate crisis, and capitalising on this type of traveller could lead to a huge uplift in your success as a hotel owner.&nbsp;Partnering with in-destination organisations that offer a deeper experience than more ‘tokenistic’ give back schemes can be a key step for hotel owners looking to capture the interest of high-net worth clients looking to make a real difference. It’s critical to ensure that any partnerships offer tangible, real value to local communities and environments, in order to attract the calibre of luxury traveller looking to make an actual difference during their experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Luxury Wellness TourismCNTraveller suggests that ‘mindful movement is the new buzzword’ when it comes to luxury wellness as one of the top travel trends for 2023 and beyond, and we’re inclined to agree - though mindful movement is certainly not new as a concept! From hypnotherapy and nutritional assessments to astrology, forest bathing or sound baths, the concept of holistic wellness as a mainstream driver for travel deserves a place on the radar.&nbsp;Marketing wellness experiences is therefore becoming a key factor in many luxury hotels’ strategies, and our Star Collection Programme offers the perfect platform to maximise visibility to the right guest, as part of our dedicated marketing solutions for hotels - available exclusively to our hotel partners!&nbsp;&nbsp;In order to remain relevant and keep up with demand, many hotels and hotel chains around the world have had to increase their wellness offerings by incorporating innovative, attractive experiences and facilities into their properties.&nbsp;&nbsp;In fact, some hotels are taking this one step further, incorporating high-tech medicine into wellness regimes and pushing the boundaries of what ‘wellness’ means - from hotels offering traditional Chinese medicines featuring nutrigenomics (the relationship between between diet and genes); on-site assessments that curate bespoke stress-relieving activities; or even offering clients treatments believed to increase ‘health span’ including stem-cell therapy, DNA analysis and customised immune-boosting.&nbsp;In fact, at Hotelbeds we have seen a significant increase in luxury bookings with many destinations experiencing growth exceeding 50% in the last couple of years as more travellers than ever prioritise mind and body wellness, and preventative care. This prompted an incredible opportunity to expand our portfolio with The Leading Hotels of the World Alliance, offering even greater access to the luxury travel segment and building our existing ability to connect luxury travellers with the right hotels and experiences.&nbsp;Sign up today, and maximise your success in the ever-changing travel industry.&nbsp;

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