Quieter Alternatives to Iconic Destinations: Naples, Brussels, Belize, Dublin and Curaçao
Demand is moving from the famous names to their neighbours. Five pairs from Skift Research's State of Travel 2026, and what each quieter alternative offers on its own terms.
- Skift Research's State of Travel 2026 tracks demand moving to the neighbours, year on year: Paris to Brussels +40%, Punta Cana to Curaçao +30%, Rome to Naples +25%, Cancún to Belize +20%, London to Dublin +10%.
- Naples is the gateway to Capri, Ischia, Procida, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, and a little over an hour from Rome by high-speed train.
- Belize protects the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996, with Maya cities such as Caracol and Xunantunich inland.
- Curaçao lies outside the hurricane belt, according to its tourism board, and its harbour capital, Willemstad, has been on the UNESCO list since 1997.
- Brussels is 1 hour 22 minutes from Paris on the fastest Eurostar, with Ghent and Bruges a short train ride further.
The short answer
The quieter alternative to an icon is usually its neighbour: Naples instead of Rome, Brussels instead of Paris, Belize instead of Cancún, Dublin instead of London, Curaçao instead of Punta Cana. Each has a character of its own rather than being a smaller copy, and Skift Research's State of Travel 2026 reports demand for all five swaps growing year on year. They also combine well with the icon itself: Naples is a little over an hour from Rome by high-speed train, and Brussels 1 hour 22 minutes from Paris on the fastest Eurostar.
| Instead of | Consider | Demand growth, year on year | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | Brussels and Flanders | +40% | The Grand-Place, Horta's Art Nouveau houses, Ghent and Bruges by train |
| Punta Cana | Curaçao | +30% | A UNESCO-listed harbour capital in the dry southern Caribbean |
| Rome | Naples | +25% | Capri, Ischia, Procida, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast |
| Cancún | Belize | +20% | The barrier reef, its cayes and Maya cities |
| London | Dublin and the Irish countryside | +10% | The Book of Kells, Brú na Bóinne, the Wicklow Mountains |
Source for the demand figures: Skift Research's State of Travel 2026.
Travel has become a fixed part of how people live. In Skift Research's State of Travel 2026, the share who call travel extremely or very important to their lifestyle reaches 89% in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, 87% in India and 84% in China, against 71% in France, Spain and the UK and 69% in the U.S. The map is shifting with it: Europe and North America's combined share of global flights fell from 68% in 2004 to 49% in 2025, as Asia, the Middle East and South America grew. The 2026 Virtuoso Luxe Report, a survey of more than 2,400 advisors, finds avoiding over-touristed destinations first among the sustainable practices clients support. The answer is not to skip Rome or Paris, but to know the place next door, which often has its best month when the icon is at its busiest.
Rome to Naples: the gateway to the bay
Naples opens the whole Bay of Naples. Its historic centre, which still follows its ancient Greek street plan, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. From the port at Molo Beverello, hydrofoils reach Capri in about 50 minutes, and Ischia and Procida, Italy's Capital of Culture in 2022, are reached from the same waterfront. Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by Vesuvius in AD 79 and inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, lie to the south, and beyond them the Amalfi Coast, on the list since 1997 as well. For a luxury traveller, Naples turns a Rome trip into a week on the water: a private boat to Capri, Pompeii with a private guide, then the coast. See our Amalfi Coast guide, Capri and the coast by yacht and Rome for the first half of the trip.
Paris to Brussels: Art Nouveau, the Grand-Place and Flanders
Brussels is 1 hour 22 minutes from Paris on the fastest Eurostar, city centre to city centre. The Grand-Place, ringed by guild houses and a Gothic town hall, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998, and four town houses by the architect Victor Horta, among them the Hôtel Tassel and his own house and studio, since 2000. Brussels also works as a base for Flanders: Ghent is around half an hour by train, and Bruges, whose medieval centre has been on the UNESCO list since 2000, about an hour. A luxury itinerary here is about architecture, canals and the table rather than one monument, and it pairs naturally with a stay in Paris.
Cancún to Belize: the reef, the cayes and the Maya
The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996, protects the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere. Its seven protected areas include the Blue Hole Natural Monument, Half Moon Caye and Glover's Reef, among coral reefs, atolls, mangroves and hundreds of sand cayes. Inland, the Maya cities give the trip a second half: Caracol, the largest known in the country; Xunantunich, on a ridge above the Mopan River; and Lamanai, reached by boat along the river. Belize divides naturally into two parts, a caye or island stay for the reef and the interior for the ruins. If you want the Mexican side as well, see the Riviera Maya.
London to Dublin: the city and the country around it
Dublin is a short flight from London, and its appeal is a literary capital with open country within the hour. In the city, Trinity College's Old Library holds the Book of Kells, a Latin text of the four Gospels from around 800 AD. About 50 km north, Brú na Bóinne, the passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth on the River Boyne, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. To the south, the Wicklow Mountains National Park is under an hour by car. Dublin works as a trip of its own or as the second half of a stay in London.
Punta Cana to Curaçao: a Dutch harbour town in the dry south
Curaçao lies in the southern Caribbean, and its tourism board places it outside the hurricane belt, with around 500–600 mm of rain a year, which makes it one of the driest islands in the region; no island is entirely free of risk, but the difference is real. Its capital, Willemstad, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997: Punda and Otrobanda face each other across Sint Anna Bay, with Dutch architecture adapted to the tropics. In the northwest, Christoffel National Park holds Mount Christoffel, the island's highest point. Curaçao adds a town with a history to the beach. Compare it with Punta Cana and the other islands in the best Caribbean islands for a luxury trip.
How to plan the quieter version of a famous trip
Keep the icon if it matters to you, and give the neighbour the longer stay: three nights in Rome and four or five around Naples and the bay, or Paris followed by Brussels and Flanders. Time the icon for its quieter month (off-peak luxury travel) and use private guiding and early access for the sites that are busy in any season, the approach we take in Kyoto. Indicatively, a luxury trip starts from around US$1,000 per person per night, and Forest Travel's planning fee is US$250 per itinerary. To begin, speak with an advisor.
Questions, answered.
Their neighbours. Naples for Rome, as the gateway to Capri, Ischia, Procida, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast; Brussels and Flanders for Paris, 1 hour 22 minutes away on the fastest Eurostar; and Belize for Cancún, with the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere and Maya cities inland. Skift Research's State of Travel 2026 reports demand for all three swaps growing year on year.
Yes, as a base for the Bay of Naples rather than a substitute for Rome's monuments. Naples is a little over an hour from Rome by high-speed train; its historic centre is a UNESCO site, hydrofoils reach Capri in about 50 minutes, and Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Amalfi Coast lie to the south. Many travellers do both: three nights in Rome, then the bay.
Yes, if the reef and the Maya world are what draw you. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, a UNESCO site since 1996, protects the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere, including the Blue Hole, and inland lie Maya cities such as Caracol, Xunantunich and Lamanai. Skift Research's State of Travel 2026 reports demand for the Cancún-to-Belize swap up 20% year on year.
For a harbour town with a history and a drier climate. Curaçao's tourism board places the island outside the hurricane belt, with around 500–600 mm of rain a year, and its capital, Willemstad, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, with Dutch architecture adapted to the tropics. Punta Cana remains the simpler beach stay; Curaçao adds a town to the beach.
Architecture, Flanders and the table. The Grand-Place has been a UNESCO site since 1998, and four of Victor Horta's Art Nouveau town houses since 2000. Ghent is around half an hour by train and Bruges, with its UNESCO-listed medieval centre, about an hour. Brussels is 1 hour 22 minutes from Paris on the fastest Eurostar, so the two combine easily.
Yes, for a city stay with open country close by. Trinity College's Old Library holds the Book of Kells; Brú na Bóinne, with the passage tomb of Newgrange, lies about 50 km north; and the Wicklow Mountains National Park is under an hour to the south. Skift Research's State of Travel 2026 reports demand for the London-to-Dublin swap up 10% year on year.
Change the month, the hour or the base. Visit the icon in its shoulder season, use private guiding and early or after-hours access for the busiest sites, and give the longer stay to a quieter neighbour: Naples after Rome, Brussels after Paris. The 2026 Virtuoso Luxe Report finds avoiding over-touristed destinations first among the sustainable practices clients support.
The Caribbean
See the collection →Tell a private advisor how you like to travel — no quotes, no obligation.
Speak With a Luxury Travel AdvisorA real person answers: an in-house luxury travel advisor, in English or Spanish. The first conversation is complimentary.
