The defining feature of a luxury destination for a high-earning man is how little of his time it wastes. Travel advisers at Virtuoso now describe the top tier of luxury travel by how completely it is arranged in advance, from private transfers to chefs and guides who are at the guest’s disposal for the whole stay.
The Profile of Ultra-Wealthy Travellers
The ultra-wealthy population at the top of the luxury travel market is mostly male. The wealth research firm Altrata reported in 2022 that women made up only 11% of the world’s ultra-wealthy population, meaning people worth at least $30 million. Asia had the highest share of ultra-wealthy women, at 13%, and the number of ultra-wealthy women had risen gradually over the previous 5 years. Its 2026 report counted 556,850 ultra-wealthy people worldwide, an increase of 14.4% during 2025.
McKinsey valued luxury travel at $239 billion in 2023 and projected $391 billion by 2028, driven largely by the growing number of people worth between $1 million and $30 million. It defined a luxury traveller as someone who typically pays more than $500 a night for a hotel room, and it surveyed more than 5,000 such travellers in China, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. About 35% of them had a net worth below $1 million, and this group was younger and willing to spend a larger share of its wealth on travel. McKinsey also found that luxury travellers valued loyalty programmes and wellness offerings.
The Most Requested Destinations
Virtuoso’s annual Luxe Report draws on its affiliated travel advisers, and the 2026 edition received 2,485 responses, the most in its history. Italy was the top global destination, followed by Japan, Greece, France and Croatia. Paris led the list of cities, ahead of Tokyo, Barcelona, Kyoto and Rome. Antarctica topped the adventure list, and Italy was also the leading destination for solo travellers.
Iceland, Antarctica, Norway, Morocco and Egypt led the list of destinations on the rise, and the most requested cruise itineraries were the Mediterranean, Alaska, the Greek Isles, the Danube and Antarctica. The report also tied demand to film and television, with The White Lotus sending visitors to its filming locations and the Cornish coast drawing visitors as a location for Poldark and House of the Dragon.
Some 55% of advisers expected spending per trip to rise modestly in 2026 and 28% expected it to stay level, while 18% expected a sharp increase in demand. Cultural immersion climbed 4 places to become one of the top 5 travel trends for the year.
Choice of Travel Companion
Virtuoso’s advisers named family travel and multigenerational family travel as the 2 leading trends for 2026, ahead of active and adventure trips, cultural immersion and expedition cruising.
Advisers plan a family holiday with adult children one way and a first trip away for a sugar daddy and a new partner another.
Time-Saving Spending
In a 2017 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ashley Whillans of Harvard Business School and her colleagues surveyed nearly 4,500 people in the United States, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands. The 28% who paid other people to do unenjoyable tasks spent an average of $147.95 a month to do so, and they reported higher life satisfaction and less stress about time. The link appeared across household incomes, working hours, marital status and number of children.
A second survey of more than 1,800 Americans found the same pattern, with respondents spending $80 to $99 to have other people cook or clean for them. In a field test in Vancouver, working adults were given $40 on 2 weekends, once for a material purchase and once for something that saved them time. They reported less time stress after the time-saving purchase, along with more positive feelings such as joy and fewer negative feelings such as anger. Applied to travel, the finding favours destinations reached by direct flight and hotels that arrange bookings and transfers for the guest. The researchers concluded that money can buy happiness when it is spent on free time.
Crowd Avoidance and Seamless Luxury
The 2026 Luxe Report found that wealthy travellers are avoiding crowded destinations. Advisers described these clients as slowing down and choosing trips that are restorative and personal. Advisers pointed to Greenland, Iceland, Antarctica and Bhutan, and to visits to Italy and France outside the peak season. The report’s Australian edition, covering travel in 2026, put Japan ahead of Italy and listed Bhutan, India, the Arctic and Malta among the destinations on the rise.
The report also added ultra-luxury travel as a new category, and 45% of advisers said requests for it had risen. Virtuoso defined ultra-luxury by all-inclusive service covering private transfers, high-end dining and resort buyouts in which chefs, wellness staff and guides serve only the guest’s party.
Relocation to the United Arab Emirates
The investment migration firm Henley & Partners projected that the United Arab Emirates would attract 9,800 millionaires in 2025, the largest net inflow of any country, while the United Kingdom faced a net loss of 16,500. London, Mumbai, Moscow and Beijing were named among the cities that the new arrivals came from.
The reasons given included business-friendly policy, legal systems based on English common law in the financial free zones of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, an expanded Golden Visa programme, which had added 5 new sponsor-free visa categories in the preceding 9 months, and secular legal structures for family matters such as marriage and inheritance. Dominic Volek of Henley & Partners described wealth migration as a core planning tool for wealthy families. The Dubai International Financial Centre alone hosts 120 family offices that manage $1.2 trillion. Infrastructure and a strategic location were on Henley’s list too, and they are the same features that make the country quick to reach on a short holiday.
Wellness Travel
The Global Wellness Institute estimated that wellness tourism was worth $651 billion in 2022 and projected that it would pass $1 trillion in 2024. International wellness tourists spent an average of $1,764 per trip, 41% more than the typical international tourist. A wellness retreat bundles rest and treatment into one booking, the same all-inclusive logic Virtuoso’s advisers described for ultra-luxury travel.
The United States was the largest national market at $256 billion, followed by Germany at $70.2 billion.
The Time-Efficient Trip
A typical version of the trip starts with a short flight to a small regional airport, where a driver is already waiting. The villa’s chef has planned the first dinner and a guide is booked for the next morning. The beach below has no queue for loungers. Each of those details exists to give back hours that would otherwise go on planning, which is the thing a successful man on holiday has least of.
