1. Prized tipples
Celebrate your top achievers with a night out at Jigger & Pony – Singapore’s top bar and Asia’s second best according to the 2022 Asia’s 50 Best Bars ranking.
Jigger & Pony has been around since 2012, growing its fan base steadily through the years with its festive atmosphere and never-ending creativity in cocktail craft.

Its new identity menu, launched in February 2023, builds on its strength in perfecting classic cocktails, as well as its promise to blaze even more impressive trails by besting itself.

As your top achievers savour refreshed classics like Pony Martini; familiar concoctions with a twist, such as Yuzu Whisky Sour; and crafts that draw on foreign influences, such as Korean Boilermaker and Soy Milk Punch, may they be inspired to push their own boundaries and aspire towards loftier goals just like the master craftsmen of Jigger & Pony.
• Capacity: Private parties are capped at 20 pax, with a minimum spend of S$2,000 (US$1,487) over a four-hour block
• jiggerandpony.com

2. Track down the elusive snow leopard
Just Nature Expeditions is known to offer some transformational wildlife experiences to remote lands, where this particular expedition takes incentive groups to trek the slopes of Ladakh in India in search of elusive snow leopards.

Tours run for a minimum of seven nights, and can be extended to 11 nights. The itinerary will cover two locations, Ulley and Rumbak, known for snow leopard sightings, as well as offer an opportunity to interact with locals during their homestay accommodations.
• Capacity: 10 pax
• justnature.travel

3. A dreamy stay
The Drovers Dream is an outback accommodation experience at Kings Creek Station (located between Uluru and Alice Springs), with all creature comforts built in. Each luxurious tent features a plush queen bed, an ensuite bathroom, split air-conditioning system, an outdoor deck with seating, a barbecue area, and a fire pit for cooler evenings.

Incentive winners can sit out on the porch and gaze out at the incredible rocky outcrop that is the George Gill Range, admire the glittering stars without any light pollution, and watch the sunrise in the morning over the otherworldly canyon views.

Activities in the area include day hikes at Watarrka National Park, such as the South Wall Return Walk. Once the sun sets, Light-Towers, an immersive sound and light installation by acclaimed British artist Bruce Munro at Discovery Resorts – Kings Canyon, comes alive.
• Capacity: 10 pax
• kingscreekstation.com.au

4. Meaningful gifting
If you are planning a travel reward trip to Singapore, be sure to start off the experience with a welcome gift pack that is a window to the city-state.
Fill it up with unique items crafted by Singapore artisans as well as home-grown brands that are trusted by generations.

Consider a refreshing face mist made of organic ingredients by Kew Organics; a charming accessory by Baju by Oniatta, a clothing line that reimagines batik for the modern wardrobe; a sweet treat with a twist – like chilli padi chocolate bonbons! – from local dessert queen, Janice Wong; or practical items sporting gorgeous designs by differently-abled artists at the Art Faculty social enterprise.
• visitsingapore.com/singapore-shopping

5. Take flight over the Southern Alps
Take to the skies with GCH Aviation and enjoy an epic aerial view of the Canterbury Plains. The gorgeous landscape looks like a vivid tapestry from up above, filled out with rolling green pastures, rugged stone formations, winding glacier rivers, and vast blue lakes, all of which are framed by the majestic Southern Alps. The experienced helicopter pilots will also point out points of interest, such as Castle Hill, a Narnia filming location featuring limestone boulder formations.

If weather permits, pilots will land on a snow-covered summit, if not, a landing may also be possible in the dramatic Waimakariri Gorge for more pictures.
• Capacity: 11 pax across two helicopters
• gchaviation.com/scenic-flights

6. Listen to your inner voice
Take your top achievers to Parihara Visual Art Therapy in Yogyakarta with the help of Werkudara Group, which offers a painting and music experience.

Guided by the founder Gabriela Fernandez, participants will explore and celebrate their inner feelings by first, listening to music and meditating. Once they are relaxed, the visual art therapy will start. Participants will be asked to express their feelings by drawing, letting their hands dance on the canvas to the rhythm of the music.

Groups can also learn more about each other and their paintings during a sharing at the end of the 180-minute session.
• Capacity: 200 pax
• werkudara.com

7. Dine under the stars
Instead of walls, the open-air Tali Wiru restaurant boasts commanding views of Uluru and the distant domes of Kata Tjuta in the background. Operating only between April and October every year, this intimate desert dining experience combines indigenous culture and fine gastronomic fare. Guests will be offered champagne and canapes upon arrival, as they gaze across the desert plains and take in the stunning sunset.

As the light fades, guests are led to the peak of a dune, where the indulgent four-course dinner begins. Dishes here are built around a non-indigenous main ingredient, where its flavours are uplifted and transformed by indigenous sauces and accompaniments, while the wines are sourced from all over Australia.

After dinner, a local storyteller will captivate guests with celestial creation stories, and point out various stars and markers in the sky like the Southern Cross. Hot chocolate and cognac are then offered around a roaring fire pit, and indigenous hunting implements and weapons are explained and passed around.
• Capacity: 20 pax
• ayersrockresort.com.au/experiences/tali-wiru

8. Hike an ancient pilgrimage route
An ancient Buddhist pilgrimage network dating back thousands of years and the only UNESCO World Heritage Site route in Japan, Kumano Kodo reveals aspects of traditional culture at every turn.

Incentive planners can choose from a luxury walking trip over several days or day trips that introduce breathtaking sights along the route such as the Nachi Waterfall and Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine. For example, Sydney-based agent Only Luxe offers a 3D2N private, guided Kumano Kodo luxury walking tour.
• Capacity: 12 pax
• info@onlyluxe.com.au

9. Learn the magic of Thai cooking
Cooking with Poo is a Thai cooking school in the heart of Bangkok’s Klong Toey district. The school is dedicated to teaching the secrets of Thailand’s world-renowned cuisine, with much of the proceeds going back into the local community.

Overseen by Saiyuud Diwong (aka Khun Poo), the classes – there is a different menu for every day of the week – have attracted the likes of Jamie Oliver to learn from the self-taught chef.

Before the cooking starts, participants will meet early to visit the local wet market to learn how to pick the best produce before heading to the school.
• Capacity: Groups of 12
• cookingwithpoo.com

10. Natural engagements
In the foothills of Mount Kinabalu this trip organised by Asian Trails to Sabah, Malaysia, offers a glimpse into the lives of the locals.

The itinerary will begin with a scenic hike, followed by a visit to a community lodge where guests will learn about the agricultural traditions of the ethnic Dusun people.

Delegates will also get to engage with local growers and makers, discover the traditional way of making coffee, learn about natural honey cultivation, taste local snacks at a pineapple factory, and give back by supporting the community’s cottage industries.
• Capacity: Any group size
• res@asiantrails.com.my

11. Luxury getaways
A curated luxury experience in Dubai is the perfect travel reward experience. Empirance is able to curate a range of unforgettable adventures to help groups discover Dubai in a fresh light.

For example, top achievers can marvel at stunning bird’s-eye views of Dubai’s skyscrapers from a helicopter and the region’s vast desert from a hot air balloon, and soak up the spectacular coastline from the comfort of a super yacht.
• Capacity: 10 pax
• uae@empirance.com

Queensland has designated 2023 to be the Year of Accessible Tourism, part of the Towards Tourism 2032 strategy to provide better destination experiences for visitors of all abilities, as well as provide legacy outcomes – including built infrastructure and skills development for tourism operators – across the state in preparation for Brisbane Olympics 2032.

Annastacia Palaszczuk, premier of Queensland, said: “Almost one in five people have a disability and spend about A$8 billion (US$5.2 billion) on tourism services annually. Dedicating 2023 to The Year of Accessible Tourism will drive change and create opportunities for both industry and travellers and create a legacy our State can be proud of.”

The strategy gets A$12 million in government funding, of which A$1 million has been designated to raising awareness of accessibility needs and services, another A$1 million to promoting accessible Queensland visitor experiences, and the remaining A$10 million is set aside for the Accessible Tourism Fund for small and medium businesses to build infrastructure and install technology to assist travellers with an impairment.

Queensland’s minister for tourism, innovation and sport and minister assisting the premier on Olympics and Paralympics sport and engagement, Stirling Hinchliffe, said: “These grants will support upgrades of accessible visitor infrastructure and technology that will further enhance Queensland’s reputation as an all-abilities destination of choice. More and more people with a disability and their families are looking for travel options that can cater to their needs.

“We want this year to be the transformation that creates an enduring legacy for Queensland as an inclusive, world-class visitor destination.”

The Accessible Tourism in Queensland project is already operational in Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Fraser Coast, North and Far North and Outback Queensland.

Differently-abled visitors are able to experience Gold Coast beaches, with Burleigh Beach offering accessible beach matting, mobi-chairs and beach wheelchairs; explore underground lava tubes at Undara Volcanic National Park; and get up close to marine life on the Great Barrier Reef on a day cruise to the floating platform at Agincourt Reef which has a chairlift for easy water access.

Moreover, as part of Queensland’s submission to the International Olympic Committee in mid-2021, the state is committed to promoting greater inclusion, diversity and accessibility in the planning and delivery of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Initial strategies include enhancing accessibility through urban planning and accessible tourism by embedding universal design principles in regional plans to enhance urban amenity and public transport solutions, and increasing career pathways by partnering with the industry to create new and innovative jobs for people with a disability while encouraging business owners to embrace inclusion.

Although Queensland may be leading the charge, other states including Tasmania, Northern Territory, and Western Australia are not far behind.

Sarah Clark, CEO of Tourism Tasmania, stated: “The accessible tourism market is fast-growing, and in Tasmania, there is an increasing understanding and appreciation of travellers’ diverse needs and desires. It’s a journey, and we’ve made some great progress.

“With accessibility forming part of the Tasmanian tourism industry’s positive impact agenda, Tasmania’s attractions, experiences and accommodation offerings are increasingly able to cater to accessibility needs and provide more information about how their tourism offering is inclusive for everyone.”

Moreover, Tasmania has partnered with Vacayit to provide 50 in-depth audio guides about its restaurants, farm stays, distilleries, cruises, markets, festivals and heritage sites on the free Vacayit app. Produced for blind and low-vision travellers, the guides combine rich sensory descriptions and engaging storytelling with helpful travel advice. These can also be read as transcripts for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Tasmania’s spectacular tracts of nature, evident from its 19 national parks, can be enjoyed by travellers of all abilities. Motorised wheelchairs and scooters are already permitted on tracks like the Russell Falls track in Mount Field National Park, and Cradle Mountain Rainforest Walk. Some parks also offer all-terrain TrailRider wheelchairs for complimentary hire (though bookings are required in advance), enabling travellers to explore more rugged tracks.

However, to make tourism more accessible across the entire industry, Tony Quarmby, executive director marketing at Tourism NT, said: “It needs to become a part of every business’ DNA. There shouldn’t be a special place on a website or a standalone accessible itinerary – it should be integrated into everything that tourism businesses do and put forward to the consumer.”

Input is also obtained from the community. For example, Tourism NT’s sample five-day itinerary in the Top End was created with the assistance of Sarah Skopellos, a manual wheelchair user 
and disability advocate who has lived in Darwin for 30 years. Another five-day itinerary in the Red Centre was created with the help of Justine Petrick, who has experience as a carer for an immediate family member with wheelchair needs, and vast knowledge of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and aged care system.

“Our goal at Tourism NT is not to have accessibility as a standalone pillar but rather a part of everyday operations for NT tourism businesses. It goes another level in understanding the guests’ needs and also their expectations; whether that be accessibility needs, sustainability concerns or ethical practices; it’s about tailoring each interaction with our customer,” added Quarmby.

That is why the latest Northern Territory attractions have been built with accessible tourism in mind.
These include Wintjiru Wiru by Voyages Indigenous Tourism as well as Light Towers in Kings Canyon Resort. Other tourism products that have long provided accessible tours include wildlife encounters such as Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin, Outback Tour Services’ Uluru tours, and Ramada Suites by Wyndham Zen Quarter Darwin, which has a ramp access to the deck and a hoist for getting in and out of the water.

Tourism Western Australia’s managing director, Carolyn Turnbull, added: “Accessible tourism has always been a priority, and we have undergone an accessible tourism strategy that was developed and finalised last year.

“More importantly, that will be at the forefront of our 10-year visitor economy strategy, which is currently being developed; it will be a big part of our strategic platform moving forward.”