Southern Africa and Malaysia emerge as top destinations for 2025, says Elegant Resorts

Southern Africa and Malaysia’s Langkawi archipelago (pictured) are among the standout luxury travel destinations for 2025, according to Elegant Resorts’ latest booking trends report.

Bookings to southern Africa have increased 90% year on year, fuelled by couples seeking boutique stays paired with slow travel experiences such as Rovos Rail journeys in South Africa or river cruises on board the Zambezi Queen in Botswana.

In Asia, Langkawi has seen a 145% rise in winter bookings, signalling a shift away from Thailand. The report also noted growing demand for more-remote Indonesian destinations such as Bawah Island, Lombok and Sumba, as well as yacht charters to Komodo and Raja Ampat.

Across the Atlantic, Florida bookings have climbed 34%, with Miami and the Palm Beaches the most popular.

Meanwhile, travel to Australia is up 44% for winter 2025, with luxury travellers favouring complex, tailor-made itineraries averaging 22.5 nights. The most popular destinations have included New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia.

In the Caribbean, typical favourites such as Barbados, Antigua and Saint Lucia remain strong performers, but bookings for lesser-known islands are rising. The Grenadines has seen a 35% increase in demand, while sales for Anguilla have jumped 36%.

The UAE continues to prove popular for winter breaks, while neighbouring Oman has seen a 70% surge in bookings. 

Elegant Resorts also reported a 45% increase in luxury cruise bookings for the winter season, as the sector continues to welcome new developments and appeal to a broader audience.

The report also noted an uptick in demand for trips centred around sports fixtures following the launch of the company’s sporting division, Elegant Sports, in July, which has seen its average booking value rise to £30,000.