Luxor’s ancient temples lie almost directly beneath the path of the total solar eclipse on 2 August 2027. The spectacle is one reason Egypt leads Scott Dunn’s predictions for the coming year, with the luxury tour operator reporting a 44% increase in UK bookings to the country and a 50% rise in booking value.
Scott Dunn’s announcement, released during its 40th anniversary year, also highlights family adventures designed around teenagers, journeys combining trains and yachts, and hotels where discovering local food becomes part of the stay. Its UK customers are booking almost a month earlier than last year and spending around 13% more.
Egypt: an eclipse and renewed hotels along the Nile
Luxor will experience around six minutes and 22 seconds of totality during August’s eclipse. Scott Dunn’s eclipse departures are already sold out, although the operator reports continued demand for Egypt, including private Nile boats and suite-style accommodation for larger families.
Mandarin Oriental’s plans for Luxor and Aswan add another reason to consider a river journey. The Winter Palace, overlooking the Nile near the Temple of Luxor, is scheduled to reopen in July 2027 after a complete restoration, with six dining venues and a spa within its gardens.
The Old Cataract in Aswan is also scheduled to complete its renovation in July 2027. Its heritage building continues welcoming guests while work takes place on the Nile Wing, before the whole property joins the Mandarin Oriental portfolio.
The hotel group is also developing its first Nile cruise, with proposed three-, four- and seven-night journeys between Luxor and Aswan. Plans include suites, a dedicated wellness space, expert-led talks and cultural excursions.
Wilderness stays and destinations to watch
Botswana features prominently in Scott Dunn’s forecast, with booking value up 53%. Singita Elela is due to open in December 2026, ahead of its first full season in 2027. Singita describes completely private camps with vehicles available around guests’ own schedules and exclusive guest access to a 170,000-hectare Okavango Delta concession. Mesh walls admit the breeze, and floodwater passes beneath the walkways.
Scott Dunn reports bookings up 33%, while Explora is due to open a lodge in the Torres del Paine Conservation Reserve this December. Awasi Patagonia will remain open through winter for the first time, with two new Cenit Villas arriving in January 2027 on the edge of Torres del Paine.
Finland’s appeal centres on its northern skies. The operator’s bookings are up 44%, and new routes to Kittilä and Rovaniemi are making Lapland easier to reach from across the UK. Glass igloos offer a distinctive overnight base for an aurora-focused trip, with the Northern Lights season continuing until early April.
Sri Lanka’s bookings have risen 38%, with Uga Ghiri’s July opening in Ella adding a new accommodation option. Further developments include planned hotels in Kandy and Colombo from The One Group, alongside Resplendent Ceylon’s forthcoming Kelburne wellness property, whose programme is being designed by former Aman wellness head Greg Payne.
China has recorded an 88% booking increase. Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai remain Scott Dunn’s most-booked stops, while more guests are adding Yunnan and the rice terraces near Guilin. Its new 2027 itineraries will focus on history, culture and wildlife.
New routes to Australia and Zanzibar
The Men’s Rugby World Cup runs from 1 October to 13 November 2027, and Scott Dunn’s UK bookings to Australia are up 50%. Its guests are also staying longer, with trips increasing from around 11 to 13 days and 87% now including multiple stops.
Qantas plans to begin daily nonstop Sydney–London flights in October 2027, with tickets going on sale in February. The airline says Project Sunrise will reduce journey times by up to four hours compared with one-stop services.
Tanzania and Zanzibar offer a safari-and-beach combination with new flight options. Scott Dunn points to British Airways’ planned three-times-weekly Gatwick service to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, running from 29 May to 31 October 2027. A 60-villa Four Seasons Resort Zanzibar is among the island’s hotels expected across 2027 and 2028.
Family adventures shaped around teenagers
Family holidays account for more than 40% of Scott Dunn’s UK bookings. Its early teenage-travel bookings for 2027 are up 25%, with South Africa the leading destination, as families give older children a greater role in choosing what happens on holiday.
The operator’s Teens-First Adventures collection, launched in September, comprises 16 private family journeys across five continents. Experiences include surfing in Sri Lanka, samurai training in Japan, filmmaking in Paris and rhino conservation in South Africa. Each journey includes an Adventure Architect, a local host selected and trained to work with teenage travellers and their families.
Multigenerational holidays are also a priority. Scott Dunn reports families looking beyond South Africa’s classic safari circuit towards the Eastern Cape and Soutpansberg. In Ireland, its Origins programme works with The Irish Genealogist to trace a family’s history and incorporate it into the itinerary.
Costa Rica gains a practical advantage for school-holiday travel: British Airways’ direct London–San José service is set to become year-round from summer 2027, covering Easter and summer breaks.
Rail and sail, with time to enjoy both
Scott Dunn’s three new Rail & Sail itineraries combine substantial train journeys with yacht or cruise voyages. Each is a suggested itinerary that its specialists can personalise, with hotel stays connecting the two parts.
Splendours of Sicily and the Adriatic Coast pairs La Dolce Vita Orient Express with Ilma, part of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Beginning in Palermo on 11 July 2027, the journey includes Taormina and Maratea, with the train crossing the Strait of Messina aboard a ferry. Two nights at Rome’s Hotel de la Ville follow, before seven nights at sea through Amalfi, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split and Rovinj to Venice.
A Far Eastern Odyssey combines Luminara with Eastern & Oriental Express. The yacht departs Bali on 12 February 2027, calling at Flores, Komodo Island, Lombok, Semarang and Malacca en route to Singapore. A night at The Fullerton Bay Hotel precedes three nights on the Belmond train through Malaysia, including Langkawi and Penang.
The Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska with Silversea links daylight rail travel with the Inside Passage. It starts with two nights at Fairmont Banff Springs, followed by two days in GoldLeaf Service through Kamloops to Vancouver. Seven nights aboard Silver Whisper then take in Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Icy Bay and Valdez before finishing in Seward.
Private space on land and at sea
Scott Dunn Private members are increasingly choosing whole estates, private jets and yachts, with fewer interruptions and greater control over their schedules. Examples include an exclusive-use White Desert camp in Antarctica and a 16-day journey across north-west Namibia with Tour de Force.
“The common thread is control over their own time and space, and that is where our relationships make the difference,” said Jules Maury, head of Scott Dunn Private.
UK cruise bookings among these members are up 40%, with demand focused on owner’s suites and larger accommodation at sea. Aman’s 47-suite Amangati is scheduled to sail from Palma to Nice on 7 May 2027, while Four Seasons Yachts is adding Costa Rica and the Panama Canal.
Hotels with a stronger sense of place
Experiential, boutique hotels are now the preference of 27% of Scott Dunn’s UK guests. Its Choice collection, launched in July with six hotels in Italy and five in Thailand, gives that interest a food-focused expression.
Each Choice stay includes one complimentary culinary experience, designed and hosted by the property, alongside a VIP welcome. At Casa Angelina on the Amalfi Coast, guests harvest heritage Campanian tomatoes with the chef and make traditional preserves. At Villa Igiea in Palermo, they fill Sicilian cannoli with the pastry chef.
Trisara in Phuket offers a tour of its private organic farm followed by lunch at JAMPA, its Michelin Green Star restaurant. The Maldives, Mauritius and the Caribbean are next to join the collection.
Conservation through named local projects
Scott Dunn says its Partnership for Nature with Conservation Collective has raised more than £120,000 through guest donations in its first year, with 85% of guests globally opting in.
Its flagship project with the Lanka Environment Fund in Sri Lanka turns invasive water hyacinth into a resource that creates local livelihoods. A second project, the Aegean Wildlife Care Network with the Cyclades Preservation Fund, launches this year across Paros, Naxos, Kos, Crete and Kythnos.
