Luxury Adventure Travel: The Push For Extreme Experiences

It's no secret that the Caribbean is one of the world's premier regions for breathtaking nature.

Young travelers are hungry for adventure, and it’s taking them to Africa. 

Scattered across the US are pockets of dark skies that offer some of the best stargazing experiences in the world. Within these often protected and designated areas luxury hotels are catering to the astro-tourism market with expert lead stargazing experiences. Situated in areas with low levels of light pollution and excellent air clarity, the night sky over these properties is so pristine you can enjoy it from the comfort of your hotel room or balcony. But these stargazing hotels have stepped it up by offering a range of astrological events, in-room telescopes and binoculars, outdoor skybeds, and even an on-site observatory. With a focus on the outdoors, these are not only some of the best resorts in the US, they run some of the top dark sky experiences in the nation.

This summer has seen a surge in the highest end of luxury across the world. Some of it is about revenge travel and increased global mobility: A lot of the Middle Eastern market parked closer to home in Covid and are now shipping their Bugattis to the streets of London and other haunts in Europe. The palaces of Paris, the best hotels in Europe, and five-stars in the U.S. did brisk business at eye-watering rates.

The corporate division of Flight Centre Travel Group is outperforming the company’s leisure travel bookings, pointing to a comeback for a sector that has suffered significant cutbacks during the pandemic.

Is there a better month to feel a surge of travel spirit than September? As the summer holiday crush eases, Europe gets back to business and harvest time brings a bevy of the continent’s stellar produce to restaurant tables, from young wines to olives, Greek figs, British apples, Spanish almonds and so much more.

After days of hiking, there’s no better reward than diving into the cool waters of the sea, reflecting on the journey, and looking forward to the next adventure.

Adventure travel specialist G Adventures has made a “significant financial investment” in Reforest, a digital platform that connects travelers with local communities that are restoring their ecosystems using reforestation.

Flight Centre, the Australian-based travel agency well known for its mass-market brands, is firmly fixed on tapping into the rising demand for luxury experiences with an expected 15 percent growth in revenue for the segment.

If the sudden dropping of all restrictions by the Chinese government caught travel agents and tour operators off-guard, it begs the question: why? 

Travelers are hungry for high-end experiences, and there appears to be no sign of the luxury bubble bursting anytime soon, with China still expected to add weight to the post-pandemic revenge travel surge.  

Luxury hospitality is in the middle of a boom. As well-heeled travelers return to the road, five-star hotels are reaping the benefits and making up for lost time with expensive rates. But what is becoming very apparent is a new group of ultra-luxury players pushing the industry to previously unseen limits while catering to a mobile class of one percenters that don’t tend to look at the bill.