What's Hot for 2027

Egypt’s story is told along the Nile, where ancient temples rise from the riverbanks and a slow cruise between Luxor and Aswan remains the finest way to travel. Beyond the Pyramids of Giza and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, 2027 brings the longest total solar eclipse of the century, crossing Luxor in August. The Old Cataract and the Winter Palace reopen under Mandarin Oriental in July, with Four Seasons Luxor and new Nile vessels from Oberoi and Waldorf Astoria also on the way.

Beyond Sydney’s harbour and Melbourne’s laneways lies a continent of extremes: the Great Barrier Reef, ancient rainforest, red desert and some of the southern hemisphere’s finest wine regions. 2027 is a landmark year, with British Airways returning to Melbourne in January, the Rugby World Cup arriving in October, and Qantas’s Project Sunrise launching the first scheduled nonstop flights from London to Sydney that same month. Waldorf Astoria Sydney opens in early 2027.

Botswana is safari at its most spacious. Each year, floodwater from Angola’s highlands reaches the Okavango Delta, turning it into a maze of channels and islands where elephants, lions, and wild dogs gather, and days unfold by mokoro, boat, or on foot. Private camps and guides who shape each day around every age suit three generations travelling together. In December 2026, Singita opens Singita Elela, its first lodge in the Okavango, in time for its first full season.

Chile is a country of extremes, from the Atacama’s salt flats and star-filled skies to the lakes and volcanoes of the south and the granite towers of Torres del Paine in Patagonia. In December, Explora opens its fifth Patagonia lodge in the Torres del Paine Conservation Reserve, making it easier to combine Chilean and Argentine Patagonia in one itinerary, and Awasi Patagonia opens year-round for the first time, with two new Cenit Villas from January 2027.

Beijing, Xi’an, and Shanghai remain firm favourites, from the Forbidden City and the Great Wall to the Terracotta Army and the Bund, while more guests now add Yunnan’s ancient towns and the rice terraces near Guilin. In Beijing, Six Senses is set to open a rare 46-room hotel, a small-format property for the brand in a major capital, and new Scott Dunn itineraries for 2027 focus on Chinese history, culture, and wildlife.

Lapland has two great draws: the northern lights glowing over frozen lakes and silent forest, and Rovaniemi, the official home of Santa Claus. Days are spent husky sledding and riding reindeer sleighs, and evenings end in a wood-fired sauna, as the Finns do. New easyJet routes to Kittilä and Rovaniemi make Lapland more accessible across the UK.

Sri Lanka packs a great deal into one island, from leopard safaris and the climb up Sigiriya’s rock fortress to tea country, best seen from the train to Ella, and a south coast of golden beaches and whale watching. It suits teenagers too, with a new Scott Dunn Teens itinerary. Direct British Airways flights from Gatwick to Colombo begin on 23 October, Uga Ghiri is newly open in Ella, and The One Group is adding hotels in Kandy and Colombo.

Tanzania is home to the Serengeti’s open plains, the Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, while Zanzibar adds the spice-scented lanes of Stone Town and long white-sand beaches. It is one of Africa’s great safari and beach combinations, and 2027 makes it easier, with new British Airways flights from May and Air Tanzania from July. Five new Zanzibar hotels open across 2027 and 2028, including the 60-villa Four Seasons Resort Zanzibar.