MICEBOOK - LUXE REPORT 5 - Flipbook - Page 25
4 hot destinations to watch for luxury #eventprofs
1. Comporta
2. Sardinia
3. Svalbard
4. Colombia
Dubbed Portugal’s best-kept
secret, Comporta is having a
moment in the sunshine. It’s
just an hour from Lisbon –
but Comporta is wild and
authentic. It forms part of
the Sado Estuary Nature
Reserve, home to a
remarkable diversity of
natural landscapes. Here,
you'll find long stretches of
wild beaches, beautiful pine
forests, vibrant rice fields,
salt marshes and windswept
dunes.
Sicily has hogged the
limelight recently, thanks to
The White Lotus effect,
which sparked an increase
in demand for the
destination on account of
the TV show being filmed
there.
For groups that really want
to feel like they are off the
beaten track, “Svalbard is as
close as most mortals can
get to the North Pole and
still capture its spirit”
according to Lonely Planet.
A short flight from Norway's
mainland, the island
archipelago in the Arctic
Ocean halfway between
Norway and the North Pole
offers opportunities for raw
wilderness adventures.
Yellow Fish delivered an
incentive in Colombia for
one of its automotive clients
last year, and director David
Heron was seriously
impressed with what the
destination has to offer.
“Colombia has everything
going for it, stunning cities,
tropical beaches, lush
forests, coffee plantations,
flamboyant culture, vibrant
nightlife, ancient historic
monuments, understated
luxury hotels, sensational
restaurants, and adventure
by the bucket load,” he says.
“Comporta offers
wilderness with an
overlying infrastructure
which delivers luxury in the
same way that Scotland
offers outdoor beauty but
with your standout luxury
experiences and properties
like Gleneagles. It is on the
doorstep of Lisbon but
offers access to one of
Europe’s most beautiful
wilderness areas,” says
Yellow Fish director David
Heron.
But with a rush of new
luxury hotel developments
– particularly in chic Costa
Smeralda – Sardinia looks
set to have its moment in
the spotlight over the next
few years. These include the
Romazzino, which reopens
as a Belmond Hotel in Costa
Smeralda for 2024, and a
new luxury resort from
Rocco Forte Hotels, which is
transforming the former
Hotel Le Palme. Mandarin
Oriental has also
announced it will open in
mid-2026 in the heart of
Costa Smeralda.
Nadine Fenton, MD at Viva
Esprit, is organising a small
client incentive to Sardinia
and says it has much to offer
groups. “Sardinia is a
beautiful island with
historical tours and
beautiful coastlines, doed
with small coves and
crystal-clear waters to
discover. There are
protected areas all over the
island with Flamingos in
abundance all year around.
This is a place to relax,
enjoy the sun, sea, fresh air,
food and wine.”
From the city of
Longyearbyen, groups can
go on exciting trips by boat,
kayak, snowmobiles, dog
sledding, hiking or skiing,
accompanied by a
professional guide, because
in addition to the 3,000
people living there,
Svalbard is also home of the
mighty polar bear. The
constant midnight sun in
the summer and the polar
night during winter, when
the Northern Lights
dominate the sky both day
and night, make for two
entirely different
experiences.
“The headlines of this
incentive were however not
about the famous sites or
popular activities, but rather
the magic of the unknown,
the surprises that greeted
the group at every
opportunity, the thrill of
being the first to share this
experience, the hospitality
of a country so excited to
embrace its new visitors.”
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