Rich pickings

Despite the recession, thousands of empty nesters are keen to explore the world when the children leave home, with the Maldives at the top of their wish list, says a leading long-haul operator.

According to the Kuoni 2013 Travel Trends Report, the Maldives is the mumber one holiday choice among its mainstream customers and honeymooners and comes in second for singles travelling alone.

The operator says: “Empty nesters are out in force. Flush with disposable income, they want to make up for lost time and travel to all corners of the globe. They stretch 10-day holidays to 14 days, building in down time on a beach after a hectic country-wide tour.”

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High-profile TV programmes are also boosting demand for long-haul travel.

The report says: “TV programmes such as The X Factor have played a part in selling long-haul destinations, and so has our seeming obsession with any celebrity and their holiday hotspot.

“X Factor helped put Jade Mountain, St Lucia, on the map, and Barbados in general, due to the number of footballers with homes there.

“Meanwhile the more urbane Michael Palin has contributed to long-haul travel with his entertaining look at Brazil on BBC One. Bookings to Brazil have definitely been boosted as a result and with Soccer’s World Cup heading for Brazil in 2014, this is definitely a destination to watch.”

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Another trend to watch for, says Kuoni, is Girls Alone: all-female groups who sometimes book a budget-busting spectacular to celebrate their divorces.

The report notes: “More groups of women travelling together is one noticeable trend; certainly far more than men. They travel together for girlie shopping weekends, city breaks, quality time to catch up or on wellness breaks.

“They are joined by equal number of Silver Surfers: those child-free, mortgage-free middle-aged travellers still with time and disposable income on their side. They travel with companions, particularly widowers, and there is a growing trend for girlfriends holidaying with chums.”

What is the magic which puts the Maldives on top of some many people’s wish-lists?

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Kuoni spokesperson Jemma Purvis says: “The Maldives is the perfect beach and diving holiday destination and has consistently scooped Kuoni’s top destination slot.”

The average duration for a Maldives holiday with Kuoni is 10 nights, with an average spend of £2,800 per person.

Overall, Kuoni’s top 10 selling destinations for 2013 are the Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the USA, UAE, Mauritius, Malaysia, Barbados, Singapore and St Lucia.

The Report predicts that Vietnam will rise in popularity this year, fuelled by a greater choice of flights and some exciting new beach options.

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