If 2020 and 2021 were the years of zilch travel – and 2022 and 2023 of revenge travel – then 2024 is the year holidays finally start looking normal again. But of course, ‘normal’ is a relative term. For the elite of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, a bog-standard package break is probably not quite what's on the cards.
"Travel is showing no signs of slowing down, despite inflation and other global economic challenges," says high-end travel advisors Virtuoso. The company has seen a 69% uptick in sales versus 2019, while exclusive operators such as Black Tomato and Original Travel report regularly hosting trips costing six figures. Luxury travel is definitely in rude health.
But what form will these exclusive breaks actually take next year? We spoke to experts across the industry, and they had myriad different thoughts – though some commonalities shone through.
Firstly, travellers are seeking the riches of cultural and adventure travel above overt coddling. "Exotic destinations are back," continues Virtuoso. "People aren’t afraid to spread their wings again and under the-radar destinations are being sought out." Specifically, travellers want to tick off certain destinations before time runs out due to climate change or shifting geopolitics.
On a related note, sustainability is an ever-growing part of the agenda – and not just in an environmental sense. Following the Covid era where personal wellness and socially distanced travel dominated, 2024 has a more altruistic air where trips involve and benefit local communities as much as travellers.
And of course, tech is part of the picture. From space expeditions to VR, it continues to shape the how and where of travel. The only thing that’s perhaps off the agenda for the 0.1% next year? A run-of-the-mill experience...
10 trends for 0.1% travel - according to the experts
1. Higher purpose travel
Post-Covid, the socially distanced personal wellbeing break dominated. But now the 0.1% is increasingly turning to travel that benefits others. "Our audience lives in a world where anything is possible. They have access to whatever they want almost instantaneously," says Duncan Grossart, founder of Journeys With Purpose, a high-end B Corp specialist focused on impactful travel. JWP guests want to escape the echo chamber at home to find a holiday with higher purpose, whether that’s meeting conservation leader Kristine Tompkins in Argentina or joining Kenya’s only all-female anti-poaching squad.
Many guests choose to invest with projects on the ground where they can see the results of their contributions for years to come. Each of JWP’s Flagship Journeys – to the likes of Kenya, Belize and the Carpathian Mountains – already includes a 20% donation to a local project but the majority of attendees increase this, often doubling it. Grossart notes, "guests leave with a wealth of knowledge, relationships and understanding – something they prioritise above possessions."
2. Virtual Reality hotel tours
The days of a luxe hotel falling short of expectations could be over. Travellers with high accommodation standards will soon be able to explore a five-star resort’s nooks and crannies in advance with Igoroom – the world’s first 360 VR online travel agency, launching in the coming months. Take 360 panospheric hotel tours of dozens of exclusive stays in the likes of the Maldives, Seychelles, Indonesia and UAE to find the one that ticks your boxes.
3. The Red Sea
A wilderness of desert dunes, plunging canyons and pristine islands, The Red Sea on Saudi Arabia’s west coast is next year's mostly hotly anticipated sustainable tourism project. Covering 28,000km2 and due to run on renewable energy upon completion, it launches this winter with three exclusive high-end resorts: The St. Regis Red Sea Resort, Nujuma A Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Six Senses Southern Dunes. Elite cultural, adventure and environmental activities will provide the kind of immersive experience top-end travellers are craving.
4. Chic space travel
It’s not just Virgin Galactic getting off the ground – Zephalto launches its first European-based consumer flight into space at the end of 2024. Its MO is style, with design by the architect behind Parisian Balmain and Givenchy stores and Michelin-starred cuisine on board. During the six-hour journey you’ll ascend to the stars in a low-carbon manner – and see the sunrise past the stratosphere. Tickets cost €120,000, with pre-reservations requiring a 10% deposit.
5. Transparent sustainability
While the luxury travel industry isn't known for sustainability, change is underway. "Nearly half of clients surveyed said they were more likely to travel with a company that prioritises sustainability, and a third were willing to pay more to incorporate sustainable options in their travel plans," says Heather Magnussen of Audley Travel, a tour operator that sells high-end trips everywhere from the Brazilian Pantanal to Zambia. "Some clients even prefer to only book low-carbon transport such as e-vehicles and bikes." The brand has launched a Responsible Choice classification in response to demand, clearly marking experiences and accommodation in their portfolio that exceeds local norms for environmental, social and conservation best practice.
6. New private islands
The lure of a castaway isle never grows old for the 0.1%. But with so many already on offer, new openings are upping their ante for 2024. In the Maldives, cult brand Soneva is pushing the boat out with new Soneva Secret in January, where just 14 villas – including the country’s first floating villa, only reachable by sea – will come with in-room gyms, spa treatment rooms, dedicated chefs and retractable roofs for stargazing. Meanwhile in the Seychelles, an untouched and formerly inaccessible island will be transformed into the new Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island with native wildlife at the forefront. In Belize the Four Seasons is launching Caye Chapel, where private residences are for sale on the edge of the largest barrier reef system in the western hemisphere.
7. The big group blowout
Connecting with friends and family is high on the 2024 must-do list. Luxury tour operator Black Tomato reports a 35% increase in group bookings since pre-pandemic, with a significant number running into six figures. Co-founder Tom Marchant says that while sometimes it’s about celebrating milestones, often the only occasion is clientele wanting to carve out time with the people who matter. The brand arranges everything from multi-day rafting expeditions through the Apurímac River in Peru’s Sacred Valley (with deluxe campsites, chefs and masseurs) to a sustainable chartered yacht around New Zealand’s Poor Knights Islands.
Tom Barber, co-founder of Original Travel, says a related trend that’s emerged is the ‘Last Hurrah Holiday’. "Parents are increasingly coming to us asking for big ticket family holidays that will entice their grown children (plus partners) to join them on holiday again." Accounting for a quarter of their bookings worth £100K+, these trips often take in Japan, India, New Zealand, Seychelles or the Maldives.
8. Bangkok boom
Rome and London had a glut of new luxe launches in 2023 – and now it’s Bangkok’s turn to shine, with branches of wellness brands Six Senses and Aman opening doors. Add in that several city hotels recently made the World’s 50 Best Hotels list, as well as the fact that Thailand is the filming location of the next season of TheWhite Lotus – a series that drove a major spike in trips to Sicily in 2023 – and the destination is looking hot, hot, hot.
9. Staying for longer
High-end trips aren’t just getting more ambitious – they’re getting longer. In the past two years Original Travel noted holiday lengths increasing from an average of 10.4 days to 13.8, with many clients now staying in three hotels rather than just one. The Sandpiper in ritzy Barbados has reported an uptick in guests staying in the highest category suites for periods of up to three months, while Bequia Beach Hotel in St Vincent & The Grenadines has seen a similar trend. "We recently hosted a widow who rented both of our six-bedroom luxury villas for five weeks; one for herself alone and the other for her two travelling maids," says director Phillip Morstedt.
10. Food and wine travel
Food and travel have always gone together, but the 0.1% seem especially hungry for it in 2024. Virtuoso said that their advisors are seeing an increased demand in culinary and hyper-local foodie experiences. Briefs apparently trot from gourmet street food to culinary tours where a meal begins in one location and ends somewhere else. Some of the hottest destinations they’ve seen on the menu? Portugal, Copenhagen, Croatia and Columbia.
