Australian Gourmet Traveller - (11)November 2019 (1)

32 GOURMET TRAVELLER

PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES (EL DEIR).

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IntheUS,thedrinkofthesummerhasbeenhardseltzer.Thislow-calorie, low-alcoholic take on sparkling

waterhasbeensohugethatthetop-sellingbrand,WhiteClaw,outsold Budweiser beer and inspired one

fraternitytosplurgeonan$11,000palletofWhiteClawastalkofa national shortage led to seltzer-buying

panic.ArcticSummer,whichlaunchedinMay,soonbecamethethird most popular hard-seltzer brand,

eventhoughit is onlysoldonAmerica’seastcoast.Seltzer“taprooms” are even becoming a thing.

Sowhyis hardseltzertakingoff?Well,it seemshealthier(it’ssignificantly lower in calories than beer

orwine)andhasbeencleverlymarketed,saysSarahAtkinson,from Perth’s Le Rebelle bistro. “The

colourfulpackagingmakesit looklikea regularsoda– discreetfor drinking in the park or at the beach.”

WhiletopbrandslikeArcticSummerhave

noplanstoexpandtoAustralia(yet),Matt

Whiley’sfizzyhighballsatSydney’sScout

mightbetheclosestyoucangetfornow.

Hecarbonatesthedrinksinone-litrevessels,

then“wepourintoa frozenhighballglass

fromthebottle”.Hisprediction?Low-carb,

seltzer-styledrinkswilltakeoffhere,too.

drinkarcticsummer.com

GOING HARD

Left:ElDeir(“the

monastery”)in

Petra,Jordan.

climate-positive. And as over-tourism

concerns grow, attention will turn to

less visited places, such as Papua

New Guinea, Mongolia and Tajikistan.

Even in popular destinations, travellers

will look to head “into the cracks”,

says Inside Japan Tours marketing

manager Harry Sargant. Its new tours

include visiting the Koshu vineyards.

Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold

CEO Ulla Hefel Böhler says travel to

“ancient civilisations” is on the rise.

“Countries such as Egypt, Turkey,

Morocco, Jordan and Greece are

having their moment,” she says.

When it comes to culinary tourism

trends, think “unpretentious, authentic

and pared back,” Tourism Australia’s

Leo Seaton says. “It’s all about going

back to basics and championing

sustainable practices and local

producers,” he says, citing northern

NSW’s Pipit and Western Australian

pop-up Fervor as leading examples.

The drinks landscape is also shifting.

“Natural wine and craft beer are

the new norm and we’ve seen

a groundswell of non-alcoholic

innovation,” Seaton says.

Experiential travel is also big

news. Through Signature Experiences

of Australia’s newest partner, you can

now brag about a walk-on role with

Opera Australia. Tra-la-la. $4999 for

one person on stage and one guest

ticket; culturalattractionsofaustralia.com

Climate change and the “Greta effect”

will influence travel in 2020, says

Intrepid Travel’s chief purpose officer,

Leigh Barnes. “We predict Australians

will be more inclined to reduce their

footprint by choosing longer trips as

opposed to travelling multiple times

per year,” he says. “Once they get to a

destination, they will opt for overland

travel as opposed to short flights,

especially in places like Europe.”

Intrepid’s Asia-Pacific managing

director, Brett Mitchell, says travellers

will look for companies that not only

carbon-offset but over-offset to be

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EL TREND

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High flyer
For the trip of a lifetime,
there is Captain Choice’s
Ultimate South America
by Private Jet tour. It
departs on 3 May 2020,
and covers The Devil’s
Throat waterfalls, a
samba display at a house
the renowned architect
Oscar Niemeyer once
called home, and a
Panama Canal cruise.
captainschoice.com.au
The way we
move