In our annual Incentive Travel Trends survey done in partnership with the Incentive Research Foundation (full results available in the April MeetingsNet magazine app or in our digital edition), we asked respondents to name two emerging countries on their radar for group travel incentives. Latin America had a strong showing, but others in the top 10 (plus) might surprise you. There are some common factors among these destinations, says Catherine Chaulet, president, Global DMC Partners:
1. They are relatively “unknown” and offer a wow factor.
2. Groups are starting to travel farther as they have more confidence in emerging economies and are willing to spend more than they were during the recession. And because some clients are still concerned with the image of traveling to glitzy, well-known destinations, they are looking at options that will be exciting while offering more value for the money.
3. Many of these destinations were not always considered safe, but they have put a lot of work into their infrastructures to make their destinations more appealing to travelers.
We thank Chaulet; Eli Gorin, CMP, CMM, managing director of meetings management boutique gMeetings, well known for expertise in Latin America; and Timothy Arnold, regional vice president, HPN Global, and a MeetingsNet IdeaXchange contributor, for their insiders’ look into these emerging destsinations.
