A shortlist of global travel experiences you need to know about

The latest (and most exciting) travel news from around the world.

From bold new hotels that redefine hospitality design to community-led adventures in the world’s most remote reaches, and new slow travel routes to under-the-radar destinations worth discovering – this is our global edit of what’s next in travel.

Turtle conservation in Malaysia

Within a protected marine park in north-east Malaysia, Redang Island is popular for its white-sand beaches and reef snorkelling. At its north, the new Chagar Hutang Turtle Sanctuary invites eco-conscious travellers to actively participate in a tagging and nesting study that monitors the population size of the four species that live here.

Carla Grossetti

Asia’s new luxury rail travel experience

Rail travel is resurging. Embrace this slower, old-world mode of travel with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, which has expanded its 2026 program with a new refined train on its 14-day Treasures of the East adventure. Hop aboard the Vietnam Express in Ho Chi Minh City for a journey north to Hanoi. At the Chinese border, switch to the ultra-luxe Golden Eagle Silk Road Express before continuing on to Shanghai.

Carla Grossetti

Raffles Hotel Singapore gets a new restaurant

A new hallmark dining destination at Raffles Hotel Singapore will be a milestone in the nation’s culinary journey as it celebrates 60 years of independence. The restaurant – slated to open later this year in the neo-Renaissance Main Building of this Grand Dame that has helped shape Singapore’s tourism story – will debut under the direction of award-winning chef André Chiang, following his writer’s residency at Raffles. Taiwanese-born, French-trained Chiang founded the now-closed Restaurant André in Singapore, which earned two Michelin stars and a World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking. Expect big things for his homecoming.

Carla Grossetti

A Michelin-star guide to Hong Kong

Hong Kong is an over-achiever when it comes to receiving recognition in the Michelin guide. The tally for three-star restaurants in the Special Administrative Region of China now stands at seven, with a further 11 venues awarded two stars. Use the Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau 2025 as inspiration for your next culinary journey around the city.

Visit venues as varied as the no-frills Bib Gourmand-listed Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop in Kowloon to the three-starred Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. The Four Seasons hotel celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025 and has an incredible eight Michelin stars across its venues.

Carla Grossetti

China’s new visa waiver program

China is now a destination we can travel to more easily thanks to the new visa waiver program. No better time, then, to dig a little deeper, beyond its famous global cities and world-renowned landmarks. You’ll find China is home to stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity and wide open spaces. Zhangjiajie, in China’s Hunan Province, is a region of dramatic sandstone pillars, lush forests, rare plants and crystal-clear streams. Find ancient villages among the beauty that inspired the floating mountains in the movie Avatar, where life ticks a little slower. See Zhangjiajie and China’s unearthly landscapes with Wendy Wu Tours’ Natural Treasures of China itinerary.

Megan Arkinstall

A new way to pay in Bhutan

If you drew a Venn diagram of Buddhism and cryptocurrency, you might be surprised to find the Kingdom of Bhutan sitting in the overlap. But Bhutan, the last stronghold of Vajrayana Buddhism, remains firmly connected to its 2000-plus-year-old roots while emerging as an unlikely pioneer of the future of travel.

Not only has it become the first country to implement a national-level crypto payment system for tourism (in collaboration with crypto software firm Binance), it’s also building an entirely new city devoted to wellness. Gelephu Mindfulness City will comprise a health centre, Vajrayana spiritual centre and its own international airport. Slated to open in 2029, the Kingdom’s second international airport is set to make this historically hard-to-reach part of the world more accessible for all.

Elizabeth Whitehead

New hiking trails in Nepal

Most visitors to Nepal beeline for established trekking routes and traveller hubs. Few venture to the nation’s far east, home to untapped attractions including the magnificent Mughal-style Janaki Mandir temple, said to be the birthplace of the goddess Sita; the rich and mysterious cultural heritage of the Limbu people at Cholung Park; and the tangerine-hued streets of Dhankuta, painted to preserve its orange-growing heritage. One of three new ‘circuits’ launched by Nepal’s Community Homestay Network for 2025, its eight-day Eastern Nepal: The Road Less Taken itinerary combines these key sights with opportunities to sustainably connect with and support remote communities off the tourist trail.

Sarah Reid

Novak Djokovic teams up with Aman

An ayurvedic treatment rooted in Rajasthan’s heritage is part of a new detoxification program devised by Serbian tennis player, Novak Djokovic. The ancient art of Pinda Sweda is being embraced as part of the transformative Longevity Pathways program at Aman sanctuary, Amanbagh.

Djokovic was tapped by Aman to be the brand’s first Global Wellness Advisor and the program is available year-round at seven Aman properties including Amanpuri, Thailand and Amangiri in Utah, USA.

Carla Grossetti

New tourism tours in the UAE and Saudi

Hero Experiences Group has curated a roster of activities and adventures that is rewriting the way we see the Middle East. The tour company is all about challenging perceptions of what the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have to offer. Soar over the desert in a hot air balloon. Feel like a character on the film set of Dune while on a camel safari. Or simply be present during a sunset and nocturnal adventure at Sharaan Nature Reserve in AlUla.

The award-winning provider of air, sea and land adventures also invites travellers to enjoy diverse experiences such as a dinner designed by a Michelin-starred chef in the Dubai desert and bedding down in a nomadic-inspired Bedouin Camp as part of its Heritage Collection.

Carla Grossetti

Abu Dhabi’s museum scene expands

After several years of delays, Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi is shaping up to be a compelling destination for lovers of art, architecture and culture. It’s home to Louvre Abu Dhabi, with other institutions slated for this year including the Zayed National Museum, designed by Foster + Partners as a contemporary interpretation of a falcon’s wings; the new Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi; and Phenomena, a multisensory art space designed by the Japanese collective, teamLab. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, designed by Frank Gehry, will follow in 2026.

Carla Grossetti

Experience island time in Kenya

It seems everyone is talking about Lamu, an island off the coast of Kenya. Time seems to have stood still in the Old Town, which is steeped in history and cultural heritage. The island’s inhabitants are mostly descended from Arab traders who married into East African coastal tribes, resulting in a rich mix of cultures.

Experience the slow pace of life here at Swahili-styled palace Jannah Lamu, where your days will be spent sipping cocktails, swimming with dolphins and whale watching.

Carla Grossetti

A new luxury lodge in Uganda

Any itinerary that includes the opportunity to see mountain gorillas and tree-climbing lions is bound to attract attention. Abercrombie & Kent has reimagined the Gorilla Forest Camp into an A&K Sanctuary dubbed Gorilla Forest Lodge. Located within the Buhoma area of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, the luxury lodge is unrivalled as a base from which to set off into the cloud-cloaked mountains in search of these magnificent creatures. For further off-the-beaten-path adventures in Uganda, WildPlaces has been running safaris with conservation at its core for four generations.

Carla Grossetti

Meet South Africa’s marine life

It’s not all about the Big Five in South Africa. Pods of dolphins, feeding gannets and sharks are just some of the marine life snorkellers might encounter on an immersive new Seas4Life itinerary off the coast of Port Alfred in South Africa. The exclusive 10-night itinerary offers sun-seeking guests the opportunity to follow the greatest shoal on Earth, as silvery sardines in their billions wriggle as one to avoid being eaten by gannets, whales, dolphins and sharks. It’s not all neoprene wetsuits though – the luxury adventure also includes a coastal-chic stay at Sandcastle, where the dress code segues into slinky. You’ll need deep pockets: the starting price is $89,782 for a group of eight.

Carla Grossetti

A new museum for West Africa

The soon-to-open Museum of West African Art in Benin, Nigeria, will contain a collection of sacred restituted objects and archaeological discoveries that were looted from Africa during the colonial era. The MOWAA Institute, located within the Benin City Cultural District, will hold its inaugural exhibition in November. The state-of-the-art museum, which will feature cutting-edge laboratories, storage rooms and exhibition spaces, has been designed as a space for West Africans to reconnect with their past and celebrate the country’s ancient kingdom and culture.

Carla Grossetti

Algeria named Explore Worldwide’s newest destination

Post a carousel of images from Algeria on your Instagram feed and it will likely include striking Saharan landscapes with towering dunes, stunning Islamic architecture, mesmerising sunsets and campsites under a star-spangled sky. Algeria has been named Explore Worldwide’s newest destination for 2026. The small-group adventure specialist has curated itineraries to the North African nation that include Wonders of Ancient Algeria and M’Zab Valley (nine nights); Sahara Desert Adventure (eight nights); and Ancient Algeria and the Sahara Desert (15 nights).

Carla Grossetti

A new UNESCO Global Geopark in Scotland

The rugged Isle of Arran is a newly crowned UNESCO Global Geopark, joining 15 other designations on Scotland’s UNESCO Trail. Only a short ferry ride from the mainland, the small island is dubbed ‘Scotland in miniature’ and captures the country’s essence with its majestic mountain peaks, ancient castles, wild coastlines and local produce. Enjoy a tipple at Cladach Beach House, Scotland’s only beach bar, and tuck into fresh fish at seafood shack Mara Fish Bar & Deli.

Hit Hutton’s Unconformity Trail to see where Dalradian schist meets carboniferous sandstone and relax in the island’s new woodfired Stonesthrow Sauna. Don’t miss Machrie Moor Standing Stones, the best known archaelogical site on Arran.

Carla Grossetti

Paris gets a new boutique hotel

Spiral out from the centre of Paris to find yourself in the 17th arrondissement, in the backstreets of Les Batignolles, where La Fondation is inviting a new type of traveller to stay. The new 58-room hotel features a rock-climbing wall, 25-metre-long pool and multiple fitness rooms. While it might seem like a curious location for a boutique hotel, the neighbourhood is like a beacon for boho types and creatives visiting the City of Light. From its holistic focus on wellness to its hybrid spaces and roster of cultural events, it also signals the direction hotel design is headed.

Carla Grossetti

Bulgaria proves to be the EU’s new hotspot

As Bulgaria embraces its newly minted Schengen Zone membership, inbound tourist numbers are breaking records. In Sofia, they’re coming for the edginess – as in the KvARTal Art District – vibrant nightlife, glossy design hotels (such as Sense Hotel and Nobu, set to open both here and in the Black Sea resort of Varna), and the capital’s 7000-year history. Elsewhere it’s for the beaches, idyllic hillside towns – think medieval Veliko Tarnovo – and mountains that host some of the continent’s most affordable skiing.

Emma Ventura

London’s V&E East Storehouse opens

David Bowie’s striped, bulbous bodysuit is one of 90,000-odd artefacts on display at the David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts housed in the brand-new V&E East Storehouse at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. In addition to the late superstar’s original costumes, the collection includes instruments, album artwork and awards tracing the artist’s career from the 1960s to his death in 2016. The pioneering V&E East Storehouse will also hold more than half a million artefacts from a diverse range of creative mediums.

Carla Grossetti

Celebrate 100 years of Art Deco in Brussels

The centenary of Art Deco is seeing the Belgian capital honour its most arresting examples of the style with a year of events, exhibitions and guided tours. From the art treasures of the 1928-built Van Buuren Museum & Gardens to furniture, lighting and textiles on display at the Design Museum, 2025 celebrates the city’s role in Art Deco. This is most obviously expressed in the architecture of Koekelberg Basilica – the world’s fifth largest church, which dominates the city skyline and has two museums.

Emma Ventura

Spain awarded World Gastronomy Region 2025

Spain’s Catalonia region has been declared the World Gastronomy Region for 2025, the first European region to receive the recognition. A well-deserved nod, given its rich culinary heritage – from wine, cheese and olive oil to diverse regional specialties and sustainable food practices.

Balance a hedonistic visit to its capital of Barcelona (stay in new waterfront resort SLS Barcelona) with a self-guided walking experience in its rural outskirts, along monastery trails, past vineyards and through spectacular mountainside. The eight-night Catalonia: El Priorat walk with On Foot Holidays includes tasting local food and wine, swimming in rock pools and stopping in villages where you can dine on authentic Catalan cuisine.

Megan Arkinstall

Milan’s new cultural institutions

Italy’s fashion capital has boosted its cultural relevance of late with new art, hospitality and wellness offerings. Influential Austrian gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac opens his eponymous gallery in Palazzo Belgioioso, near La Scala, this autumn, and five-star stays slated for 2026 include Six Senses and Rosewood.

Meanwhile, there’s a new home of modern art at Palazzo Citterio, fresh dining at low-key, plant-focused Sandì bistro in cool Porta Venezia and the gloriously restored Art Nouveau De Montel thermal spa.

The rise of coolcations in Sweden

Coolcations are heating up as one of the next big holiday trends for 2025, according to Expedia’s just-released report based on the platform’s booking stats. It’s certainly what’s on the outside that counts at Arctic Bath on the Lule River in Sweden. Even in summer, the minimum temperature can get down as low as 7°C. Stay at the floating hotel and spa during the country’s Midsummer celebrations on 21 June to mark the summer solstice.

Carla Grossetti

Greenland gets a new international airport

Greenland’s new international airport has made the Arctic island more accessible than ever. Travelling to the world’s least densely populated nation had been a logistical challenge prior to the opening of the airport in the capital of Nuuk last November. But the addition of global flights to Greenland will mean the destination – best known as a prime location for viewing the northern lights – will be even more of a draw year-round. News that an additional two airports are to open by the end of 2026 has also led to new tourism initiatives designed to showcase Greenland’s pristine natural beauty. Set sail on an expedition cruise with HX or explore mostly on foot by joining Intrepid Travel’s brand-new Greenland Expedition.

Carla Grossetti

Europe’s latest river cruise offerings

Cruising along Europe’s diverse and storied rivers is like cruising along its arteries. Life unfolds on the banks and each day there’s a new place to discover – from the storybook towns along the Rhine with half-timbered houses and Gothic steeples, to the imperial palaces of the Danube and the rolling vineyards of the Douro. It’s no surprise that river cruise bookings are skyrocketing in 2025 on luxe cruise lines such as Viking, Avalon Waterways and Tauck. To meet demand, new ships are coming, such as AmaWaterways’ AmaSintra on the Douro in Portugal, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ S.S. Elisabeth on the Rhine, and the launch of two new APT ships along the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. Trafalgar Tours and Celebrity Cruises will also begin their first forays into river cruising in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

Megan Arkinstall

USA’s first national park city

Urban rewilding is bringing nature back to cities all around the world. A case in point is Chattanooga, which has just been declared North America’s first National Park City. Home to more than 70 parks, the city in south-east Tennessee is now the third National Park City in the world (behind London and Adelaide).

The great outdoors is at the core of the city’s identity and part of its story of revitalisation. Base yourself at the plant-festooned Dwell Hotel, a member of Design Hotels, to explore the ‘city within a park’.

Carla Grossetti

Explora Journeys cruises into Alaska

Explora Journeys will venture to the epic wilderness of Alaska onboard EXPLORA III for the first time in summer 2027. Explora will operate two journeys over 11 and 14 nights, departing from Vancouver and cruising around islands and coastlines sculpted by jagged ice. Highlights include the Whale’s Highway, which is frequented by humpbacks, orcas, seals and dolphins, as well as glacier-carved fjords and frontier towns, where hiking, dogsledding, kayaking and delving into rich cultures are all on the agenda.

Megan Arkinstall

Caribbean cruises on the rise

This paradisiacal archipelago is becoming a hot destination for Aussie travellers, thanks to cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, Holland America Line and Norwegian Cruise Line making it more accessible. One of the region’s biggest players, Royal Caribbean, is launching its newest Caribbean-based ship Star of the Seas and its first private beach club in the Bahamas, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, this year.

Carla Grossetti

AmaWaterways to sail the Magdalena

See Colombia differently with AmaWaterways. The luxury river cruise line is taking travellers along the Magdalena River – a waterway described by novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez as the ‘River of Life’. With some 80 per cent of the population living on the river basin, it’s a melting pot of Indigenous, European and African cultures and towns that are untouched by mass tourism.

Megan Arkinstall

Canada’s fine-dining scene grows

Loosen your buckle: culturally diverse Toronto has one of Canada’s most exciting food scenes. Its neighbourhoods represent flavours of the globe, from Chinatown to Little Italy and food-centric melting pot Kensington Market. At the finer end, the city also holds 16 Michelin-star restaurants, including the two-Michelin-starred Sushi Masaki Saito.

Megan Arkinstall

Guyana: an under-the-radar natural paradise

Home to its very own ‘Big Five’ (jaguar, giant anteater, giant river otter, black caiman and harpy eagle), South America’s only English-speaking nation is a wildlife-watcher’s dream. Adventurous travellers are finally cottoning on, with visitor arrivals increasing by 15 per cent in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Spot Guyana’s iconic rainforest creatures and birds (including the electric-orange Guianan cock-of-the-rock) on sustainability-minded Wilderness Explorers’ Guyana Wildlife and Adventure Journey. Or put your survival skills to the test on a remote jungle expedition with newer outfit The Wild Tales.

Sarah Reid

Australia launches direct flights to Palau

Now just a six-hour flight from Brisbane, the western Pacific island nation of Palau is your next tropical escape sorted. Direct Qantas flights touch down in Koror, Palau’s tourism hub and gateway to the World Heritage-listed Rock Islands, some 400 jungle-clad limestone islets rising from aquamarine waters.

The highly protected lagoon harbours some of the world’s best snorkelling and diving, including Second World War wrecks and spectacular drop-offs patrolled by reef sharks, turtles and barracuda. On land, there’s waterfalls to explore, beautifully decorated bai (traditional meeting houses) to admire and fresh-caught seafood to feast on. Immerse in Palau’s mesmerising marine landscape on the Four Seasons Explorer, a luxury cruising resort with daily embarkations that taps into the ‘floating hotels’ trend.

Sarah Reid

New Caledonia reopens to tourists

In January, DFAT downgraded its travel advice for the French overseas territory of New Caledonia following nearly a year of political instability. But tourists have been slow to return to this tropical getaway just a two-hour flight from Brisbane, making it a good time to snap up deals and dodge crowds.

Cruise the capital Noumea in a fairy floss-pink ‘Nosmoke’ electric Mini Moke; explore the rich Kanak culture and dazzling beaches of Ouvéa (dubbed ‘the closest island to paradise’) on a community homestay experience; and kayak through a drowned forest in the Great South. Did we mention the world-class diving?

Sarah Reid

Aranui to cruise the Austral Islands in 2027

Polynesia’s Austral Islands are delightfully remote and untouched by mass tourism. It’s an archipelago with dazzling blue lagoons, a sanctuary for humpbacks during migration and tiny settlements whose small populations are some of the happiest in the world. Aranui Cruises will take passengers to this enigmatic pocket from 2027 onboard its new ship Aranoa, a mixed passenger-freight vessel that will accommodate 198 guests, with two restaurants and bars, two spa pools, wellness facilities and even a tattoo parlour. What’s more, the cruise line will work with local communities to foster inclusive and slow tourism, to create jobs and economic opportunities without retracting from the authenticity of the region.

Megan Arkinstall

Fiji’s new Loloma Hour for conservation

Visitors to Fiji can now give back to the island nation with the launch of the Loloma Hour initiative by Tourism Fiji. Loloma Hour invites visitors to donate one hour of their trip to play a part in restoring and protecting the local environment. The Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa is leaning into Loloma Hour by inviting guests to participate in everything from a beach clean-up to coral propagation with a marine biologist. While Likuliku Lagoon Resort Fiji has reopened after a major $7-million refurbishment, which includes Na Vanua Conservation Hub, a new interactive space offering experiences centred around environmental and cultural sustainability.

Carla Grossetti

A new private island opens in Vanuatu

There’s a new private island to visit in Vanuatu and it’s coming to Royal Caribbean itineraries in 2027. Make history when the cruise line loops around the South Pacific archipelago to Lelepa, the first private island cruise destination in the southern hemisphere. Passengers onboard the inaugural trip will enjoy visits to nearby villages and communities on immersive itineraries that have been co-curated by locals and Royal Caribbean.

Carla Grossetti

Golf tourism goes gangbusters in NZ

Golf tourism is on the upswing with a new generation, and Luxury Touring by Revelry has tapped into this growing trend with a range of LUXE Golf Tours that provide exclusive access to some of the world’s best golf courses.

Tee off across the ditch on the North Island of New Zealand/ Aotearoa during a four-night golf retreat at Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, where you can work on your game on its world-class course that curves around the cliffside. The LUXE Golf Tours experience includes two rounds of golf at the exclusive par 72 championship course, accommodation at the five-star local lodge, some meals and local wines.

Megan Arkinstall

Follow the footsteps of explorers in Antarctica

Very few travellers have stepped foot in East Antarctica, a place of untouched and wild landscapes, where legendary explorers Scott, Shackleton and Mawson were the first humans to witness its towering glaciers, colossal ice masses, dramatic canyons and soaring mountain peaks.

Australian-owned Certified B Corp Aurora Expeditions is taking adventure-seeking explorers to this far-flung region in 2025 and 2026 with three itineraries and a new ship, Douglas Mawson, setting sail in December 2025. Plus ultra-luxe cruise line Ponant offers more than 50 cruises to the great White Continent, including to the eastern edges and extreme south. Intrepid travellers can expect to spot local wildlife like emperor penguins, seals and rare seabirds, see the historic huts of explorers and enjoy thrilling excursions through staggeringly beautiful scenery.

Megan Arkinstall