Longevity tourism
Taking inspiration from Silicon Valley titans such as Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Bryan Johnson, who are all investing heavily in the longevity market (as well as using themselves as guinea pigs for new life extension regimens), luxury travellers are increasingly demanding more from the wellness tourism experience.
Not only do people want to live better today, they want to live longer tomorrow and are willing to pay big money to achieve this.
By 2031, the longevity and anti-senescence (cellular-focused) therapy market is estimated to be worth just under $45 billion, up from $27 billion in 2023 (New Medicine Partners).
In the US, the average person spends 12.4 years in poor health, representing the largest healthspan-lifespan gap globally.
In response, a rising number of medi-resorts are designing programmes to help rewire people's long-term vitality. Pioneering brands include Clinique La Prairie, SHA, RAKxa, Revivo, Six Senses and Buchinger Wilhelmi, which will open a new flagship property on the Cote d’Azur in 2029.
Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape, is set to open in May 2026
Hotel hot-listing
By 2032, Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global luxury hotel market will be worth $370 billion, up from $154 billion in 2024.
With international hospitality brands expanding into new territories, a rising number of standout five-star hotels are proving destinations in their own right, giving eager luxury seekers dozens of new places to add to their hotlists.
Examples include the Desert Rock Resort (opened autumn 2025) in Saudi Arabia, where suites are carved into caves; Ubuyu, A Banyan Tree Escape, which is opening May 2026 in Tanzania’s remote Ruaha National Park; Six Senses Milan (2026); Rosewood Calistoga in Napa Valley (2027); Aman Karingani in Mozambique (coming 2028); and One&Only Resort and Private Homes, Fiji, in 2029.
Halal travel is expected to nearly double in worth over the next 10 years
Halal travel
Halal travel is one of the fastest-growing sectors in global tourism, driven by a young, affluent Muslim population seeking faith-compatible luxury experiences worldwide.
According to Future Market Insights, halal travel is expected to be worth about $301 billion by the end of 2025, but will expand to $548 billion by 2035.
Why?
Not only is the global Muslim population projected to grow from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030 (Pew Research Center), but 70% of Muslims are under the age of 40, and many will have the desire and means to travel in style.
Popular destinations for halal tourism include Turkey, the UAE, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, the Maldives and Singapore. Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia are also of huge interest to Muslims.
By 2030, Saudi intends to accommodate double the number of annual Umrah pilgrims, from 15 million in 2025 to 30 million by 2030.
Family sabbaticals
“Location independence” will continue to transform the way people live, work and travel over the coming years.
According to the World Economic Forum, the number of remote digital jobs globally will rise to 92 million by 2030, an increase of 25% on 2024.
For financially liberated parents, this added fluidity is driving a desire to break free from the constraints of school terms, with some turning to home schooling (or “world schooling” – when on the move), while others are better leveraging summer holidays by taking extended trips away as a family.
This gives them the chance to take a break from their normal routine and pursue different life experiences together.
Luxury travel providers have the opportunity to help curate and manage these complex temporary relocations and adventures, providing nannies and teachers, inspiring and informative itineraries, and places to work and play. Leading the way are the likes of Original Travel, which works with Oppidan Education for tutoring plans around the exam syllabus.
High-roller holidays
It’s boom time for the ultra-luxury travel industry as global wealth continues its upward trajectory.
Data from Swiss bank UBS indicates that in 2024, the world welcomed more than 684,000 new millionaires, with China generating 380 new millionaires a day.
By 2030, there will likely be five million newly-created millionaires globally; another 5,000 or so new billionaires; and potentially the world’s first trillionaire (Elon Musk).
When it comes to planning vacations for the world’s financial elite, price tags can easily exceed $100,000; for a minority, spending on a single ambitious trip can go into the millions.
An example might be Ultima Collection’s recent partnership with Burgess Yachts, with two-week land-sea holidays costing from €720,000.
According to 2025 research from payments platform Flywire, which surveyed more than 500 high-net-worth Americans, 80% plan to spend more on trips in the coming year, with almost half of those typically spending more than $25,000 per holiday as standard, indicating they will spend “much more than before” on once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences.
