2011 will most probably bring a more positive sentiment in the Western world, after 3 years of economic crisis. People are ready for positive thinking again and will spend money more freely. Chinese, Indians, Brazilians and Russians will bring more and more international travellers to tourist destinations, in many areas of South East Asia “local” travellers will outnumber European travellers, travel will become truly global.

Where will people go? According to Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2011 we should all go to Glasgow, Edinburgh The Shetland Islands, New York City, Albania and the Sinai Peninsula. South America (new: Colombia and Peru) will become top destinations for luxury travel.

What will the best restaurants in the world be? Hard to say. Maybe one more time to El Bulli, before it closes in 2012? Noma in Kopenhagen probably is booked for most of the year and maybe the French chefs of traditional food will become the heroes of high cuisine again after a decade of being off the center of the culinary stage.

The best hotels of the world will see higher occupancy and higher average prices as business travel will grow after 3 years of slow international travel. People will continue to look for high quality and out of the extraordinary experience in our restless age of zapping from experience to experience. Boutique hotels with strong luxury identity will be the winners in 2011.

We will all become more conscious about our environment, sustainability is hot. This will not mean we will fly one second less, or go less far than we would before. It just means we will not throw away our plastic bag, and we will feel good about it!

All the best for 2011!