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Billionaires are seeking less-traveled destinations and places that offer intimate luxury cruise experiences, but they're also interested in a few more popular countries.
Billionaires are always on-the-go, even when they're vacationing.
Business Insider teamed up with boutique luxury travel agency Original Travel, which plans trips for high-net-worth individuals, to find out the hottest spots the elite are spending their money on in 2020. They based this ranking on the number of bookings and performance; the latter was assessed by feedback, their expertise, and client inquiries.
Overall, billionaires are seeking out the unknown and the exclusive, from off-the-beaten path Kyrgyzstan to Nicaragua, newly removed from the FCO travel warning list. They're also looking to set sail, opting for intimate luxury cruises in far-flung destinations like the Maldives and Antarctica.
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While they seem to have a taste for the exotic, they're also headed to the Middle East and Europe to visit a few more well-traveled countries.
Here are the destinations the ultra-wealthy will be checking off their bucket lists in the new decade.
With Nicaragua removed from the FCO travel warning list in 2019, it's set to welcome international visitors once again, Tom Barber, cofounder of Original Travel, told Business Insider. "Nicaragua has everything that we love so much about Costa Rica, but with fewer tourists and — as it's the largest country in Central America — more space to get off the beaten track," he said.
Its city of Granada has an edge over cities in neighboring countries, he added, for its colonial appeal, pastel-colored baroque buildings, and rich Spanish architecture.
9. Kyrgyzstan
Barber foresees an increase in tourism in Uzbekistan next year since it ditched its visa requirements for travelers from 45 countries including the UK. As such, he expects more intrepid travelers looking for somewhere untouched will head to neighboring Kyrgyzstan.
The country is home to mountains, Silk Road sites, and a nomadic culture. "We're seeing a rise in people wanting to go off-grid, digitally detox, and taste the kind of wilderness that is as yet still untouched, untamed, and untainted by tourism," Amelia Stewart, brand ambassador for Original Travel, told Business Insider. "Kyrgyzstan ticks those boxes, and also makes a fantastic combination tour with neighbouring Uzbekistan. It's a country on the cusp of discovery but not for much longer."
8. Maldives
Original Travel has seen a 396% increase in bookings in the Maldives for 2020, Barber said. It's largely because of the luxurious Four Seasons Explorer, a floating resort that only hosts a maximum of 22 guests.
Original Travel and Four Seasons teamed up to send the luxury catamaran to the remote southern atolls for the first time, hopping across the Maldives' most secluded islands and exploring some of the least visited dive sites, Barber said.
February is going to be prime-time for travel to Jamaica, thanks to "reliably good weather" and the 75th birthday anniversary of Jamaican native Bob Marley, according to Barber.
It's also home to plenty of luxury hotels, he said, such as the five-star Goldeneye, once home to James Bond creator Ian Fleming; cliffside resort Strawberry Hill; and Geeham, which has its own recording studio — Gwen Stefani, Drake, and Alicia Keys have stayed there, according to Oyster.
6. Antarctica
"2020 marks 200 years since Nathaniel Palmer laid claim to the discovery of the Antarctic mainland, making it an iconic year for all Antarctic travel," Barber said. Travelers are interested in the exclusive experience of the Magellan Explorer, an expedition vessel built for the Antarctic and the first small passenger ship to offer single cabins that launched in 2019.
More than 55,000 tourists visited Antarctica in the 2018-2019 season — an 18%-plus increase from a decade prior, according to data from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. Most visitors come from the US, China, Australia, and the UK, many of them on luxury cruises, reported Warren.
5. Israel
Israel has seen several new transportation and hospitality openings set to make it a hot destination next year, according to Barber: Ramon airport, which opened in January 2019, "created an international gateway" to the Red Sea and Eilat; Virgin Atlantic launched a new daily service from Heathrow to Tel Aviv in September 2019; and Six Senses, a five-star luxury resort chain, is set to open in the Negev Desert in February 2020.
"Tel Aviv has seen a recent influx in tourism and from that, an increased demand in luxury hotels," Galit Heller, director of sales and marketing at The Jaffa, a five-star hotel in Tel Aviv, previously told Business Insider. "With an increased popularity, and a previous lack in the luxury hospitality scene, we see many luxury hotels popping up across Tel Aviv."
4. Chile
Barber has seen a 150% increase in 2020 bookings for Chile. He thinks it's partly because a solar eclipse is set to happen in the country on December 14, 2020, passing through the Chilean Lake District. The area offers a lot of opportunity for adventure, including hiking, horseriding, kayaking, and fishing, he said.
It's also a perfect spot for luxury seekers: Business Insider's David Slotnick stayed at Easter Island's primary all-inclusive luxury hotel, Explora Rapa Nui, and found his stay to be "phenomenal."
"Less traditional luxury — no white tablecloth breakfasts served on your private balcony overlooking the ocean — Explora offers the luxury of being able to let go of planning and logistics without sacrificing choice or personalization," Slotnick wrote.
3. Egypt
Egypt was the top destination for billionaires in 2019 and remains a top spot in the new decade. That's all thanks to the long-awaited re-opening of The Grand Egyptian Museum and Steam Ship Sudan, a cruise that glides down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan. Original Travel exclusively chartered the steamer for ten days during October 2020 to celebrate the film adaptation of Agatha's Christie's "Death on the Nile."
Egypt is steeped in history, with plenty of archaeological sites, temples, and tombs, and has numerous luxury offerings, from dining restaurants in Cairo to beach resorts along the coast of the Red Sea.
2. Portugal
"Just as 2019 seemed to be all about discovering hidden Greece, in 2020, eyes will turn to lesser-known Portugal," Barber said. "Currently famous for the Algarve and golf, travelers are starting to wake up to how much more the country has to offer."
Millennials favored the country in 2019 for its charming neighborhoods and buzzing nightlife, and now it seems that the wealthy are picking up on the hot spot as well.
The capital of Lisbon is home to the Bairro Alto neighborhood, where the eponymous luxury hotel recently reopened, and a "food scene that befits the hometown of star chef, Nuno Mendes," Barber added. Just south of Lisbon is Comporta, which has a "boho surfing vibe," and to the west are Portugal's Azore Islands, which have been compared to "a warm Iceland" for their dramatic volcanic landscape, Barber said.
1. England
September 2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Voyage and founding of Plymouth Colony. As such, the UK will be hosting cultural and artistic events throughout the whole year to celebrate, and Barber expects it to attract wealthy travelers.
Original Travel has been working on developing a tailor-made itinerary for history buffs to tour all the artistic gems and properties that played a role in leading up to the Mayflower sailing.
London, the country's capital city, is home to a number of luxury hotels including Claridge's, The Connaught, and The Dorchester.
