Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula and Bellarine Peninsula were flagged as ‘must see’ destinations in 2025 by Signature Travel Network’s destination guru, Ignacio Maza. The fast-paced destination profiling is one of the most popular elements of the General Session of Signature’s Annual Conference.
Maza’s 15-minute ‘where to go’ rapid-fire ‘hot list’ highlights the appeal of a destination, whether it be year-round, seasonal, historical, sporting, event or experience, making first-hand recommendations on what to do and where to stay at.
Having retired from the luxury travel network in December, the former Executive Vice President continues to work on ad-hoc projects with Signature Travel Network, and the industry veteran has his finger on the pulse in terms of up and coming destinations around the globe.
Also in his top 12 destinations for next year, alongside Victoria, were Montreal, British Virgin Islands, Peru, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Switzerland, Marrakesh, Botswana, Laos, Yogyakarta and Fiji.
Justifying his decision to include the Australian southern state, Maza told some 2,700 Signature advisors and partners that Victoria has “so much to do”.
“We love Australia and I love the state of Victoria, and Melbourne is your main gateway. The city is very interesting.
“If you thought the people on the West Coast were crazy about coffee you were wrong, because people in Melbourne take it to the next level,” he quipped.
“And also they are crazy about sports”, he said, highlighting the annual sporting line of of major events – The Australian Open, the Formula 1 and the Australian Rules final, urging advisors with sports crazy clients that the will “want to be there.”
“While you’re in Melbourne go south to either the Mornington Peninsula or the Bellarine Peninsula. There is wine, there’s fantastic food, there’s great places to stay like Jackalope and Point Leo. Or in the Bellarine Peninsula there are some amazing restaurants that are great value for money, because the dollar is so strong, and create a whole itinerary,” he told the mostly US travel advisor audience.
He continued: “And after you’ve done your food, your wine, your sports, hop into the car and go west to the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 Apostles. But then turn right and go to the Grampians – this is one of Australia’s most beautiful national parks where you have aboriginal art, hiking, kayaking, and you have all kinds of adventures in this really beautiful part of Victoria that none of our people know about.”
In a snapshot of his snapshot, Maza’s reason for the other destinations were:
Montreal: a creative city with a popular jazz festival. Visit the structural masterpiece, Habitat 67.
British Virgin Islands: now closer than ever with new flights from Florida, visit the island of Anegada and snorkel/scuba with over 100 shipwrecks. Stay at Necker Island, Scrub Island or Moskito Island.
Peru: Explore Coquequirao, a three day hike but none go the crowds of Machu Picchu. Visit Huascaran National Park and Colca Canyon (twice the depth of the Grand Canyon) and experience the Belmond Andean Explorer.
In Buenos Aires, don’t miss the Teatro Colon (theatre) and the El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a palatial theatre that’s been transformed into a stunning bookstore.
Berlin: City will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War, explore the Nikolai Quarter, visit the Tempelhof (former airport runway converted to a park) and Potsdam.
Fiji: Visit the Navua Gorge, experience Sigatoka River Safari and take time to enjoy the culture and a Fijian Meke.
In Switzerland: Go to Lausanne, take the Gottard Panorama train and visit Lake Lugano.
Marrakesh: Visit the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest in the city, and the iconic Medersa Ben Youssef, a historic Islamic school. Explore the city’s hidden gardens and don’t miss Agafay Desert.
Go to Botswana and the Okavango Delta and visit Makgadikgadi Salt Pans NP
Laos: Visit historic Luang Prabang, explore Vientiane and experience the Mekong river on the upgraded Anouvong.
Explore the heat of Indonesia, with a visit to Jogyakarta. Experience Borobudur, and visit Java and its 40+ volcanoes.
