Hot destinations for 2013

It's the time of year when everyone in travel likes to dust off their crystal balls and predict which destinations will be hot in the following 12 months - usually their lists include a suspiciously high number of resorts that crop up in their own brochures, which could be attributed to wishful thinking or some jolly good PR.

Anyway, it seems that Virgin Holidays has been staring into its crystal ball long and hard over the last few days and here are some of its predictions for 2013.

Vietnam will be a hot seller. Why? Because it's the 40^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Thailand will sell well too as people look to combine the two destinations into a single holiday.
Couples will book babymoons for the first time, probably to the Caribbean, the Far East or Bali. Why? Because, in case you missed it, Kate and Wills are having a baby, they're bound to cram in a final holiday before the big arrival and ta-da - the babymoon will become a rite of passage for every expectant couple.
San Francisco is the place to be in March, which marks the 50^th anniversary of the closing of Alcatraz. The date coincides with the 110^th anniversary of the first Harley Davidson, giving tour companies the chance to push bike tours of the US. Expect traffic jams on Route 66.
Since the River Nile has been opened up to allow cruises to operate the entire 600 miles from Cairo to Aswan for the first time in 15 years, these are likely to attract some attention, assuming the demonstrations in Cairo calm down.
With Dallas back on TV screens from January, Texas will be luring fans of the wild west and wide shoulder pads next year. What do you mean you've never heard of Dallas? Google it.
The perennial family favourite Orlando will be just as popular next year with two new rides opening. So too will the Caribbean, especially Cancun and Jamaica. Why? Because Virgin has laid on extra flights from Gatwick.
Dubai will become more affordable for families with the opening of the first family-focused beachfront hotel, The Ocean View. Virgin expects many will combine a trip to the Middle East hotspot with a holiday in the Indian Ocean, travelling onwards to Mauritius or Sri Lanka.
We just can't get enough of the Olympics and to keep the vibe alive Virgin suggests we head to Rio, host of the 2016 Games. Of course there won't be any Olympic-related events happening there for another few years, but hey, it is one of the world's liveliest cities.

Friday, December 28, 2012