Wellness vacations, culinary experiences and emerging destinations around the world are three of the priorities for ultra-luxury travellers, Internova Travel Group CEO J.D. O’Hara told an audience at the recently concluded ILTM Cannes.
Speaking to representatives of the world’s most prestigious luxury travel brands, O’Hara and Albert Herrera, Executive Vice President of Partner Relations, shared insights about North American travellers from the 2024 Internova Index, a new survey of travel trends conducted by Internova Travel Group. In addition to analysing proprietary data from millions of travel bookings, the report surveyed 3,000 travellers across diverse age and income groups.
“I’m extremely proud of this report,” O’Hara said, “as it offers essential data for the global travel and tourism industry, especially when it comes to understanding the role of travel advisors.”
The Index shows that these travellers consistently prioritise relaxation in combination with sightseeing. About 40 percent are interested in wellness vacations, with a focus on spa retreats and healthy eating. About 70 per cent are interested in culinary vacations, including wine tastings and gastronomy. They also expect to increase their use of travel advisors in 2025 to assist with their trip planning and execution.
Internova also looked at a sample of 50,000 ultra-luxury travellers in its database, dubbed the “High-Net Jet-Set,” to see how they travel, where they go and what’s on the horizon for them.
The median age of this group is 53, versus 43 for typical clients, and they’re primarily based in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Miami. They travel four or more times per year, fly exclusively in first or business class and stay in five-star hotels, like the Hotel Ritz in Paris, The Connaught, in London, The Peninsula in Beverly Hills, and The Mark Hotel in New York City, placing an emphasis on a property’s amenities and features.
Their preferred destinations are the United Kingdom, Italy and France, but they’re also interested in places that are off the beaten path, including Chile, Cambodia and China. Over the past few years, there’s been a notable increase in luxury travel to Japan. Uber luxury travellers are willing to spend big on trips to more exotic locations, like Fiji, the Maldives, Morocco and Rwanda to gain once-in-a-lifetime experiences and immerse themselves in new cultures. They also have a strong preference for private tours, led by expert or VIP guides and with luxury add-on options.
“Our High-Net Jet-Sets are trailblazing travellers to emerging destinations,” Herrera said. “Chile has long been a favourite among luxury travellers, known for its diverse landscapes, premium accommodations, gourmet dining, private tours and untouched natural landscapes. The cruise industry in Asia, particularly river cruising, is experiencing significant growth at the moment, which reflects the surge in our bookings to countries such as Cambodia.”
High-Net Jet-Sets also place great trust in their travel advisors, who offer authentic experiences, seamless planning and play a key role in introducing their clients to new and exclusive travel experiences. “Travel advisors are becoming the new travel influencers,” O’Hara added. “They offer a personalised, trusted and expert-driven approach to travel that social media influencers can’t always provide. They also provide their clients access to exclusive experiences and insider deals that are often unavailable through AI or other online platforms.”
At Internova, the High-Net Jet-Set travel advisor has an average of 32 years of experience in the industry, with each advisor generating more than $5 million in annual production on average.