Spa wars
Spa connoisseurs travelling to Cape Town (below) can look forward to a specially designed 150-minute spa package to beat the southern-hemisphere winter blues. The Angsana Spa Vineyard Hotel's Winter Warmth range of spa delights uses sandalwood heat treatment to loosen strained muscles and improve circulation. A pampering body massage is also included in each session.
Girl power
Asian women will shake up the Asian tourism market for at least the next 10 years, according to travel-agency umbrella organisation Abacus International. A recent Abacus survey found Asian women are making about 125 million trips a year in Asia alone and are propelling developments in travel, hospitality and tourism. 'Asian women are travelling like never before,' says Abacus president Don Birch. 'From the young to businesswomen to energetic grandmothers, they're travelling more often and farther, solo, in pairs with their female companions or as members of women-only interest groups.'
The latest travel-trend figures from Mastercard show roughly four in every 10 Asian trips are undertaken by women, up from 10 per cent in the mid-1970s. The data also suggests women will eventually overtake men as the most frequent travellers.
