High-value clients are nearly always “business owners, founders or chief executive officers”, according to new research conducted by Carrier.  

The luxury travel operator shared the data at its annual Retreat in Sardinia in June, after surveying 35 customers who had made bookings over £100,000.  

The report found 91% of these clients to be chief executive officers, business owners or founders, with a third having successfully scaled and sold a business. It also revealed that 84% of bookings over £250,000 had come as a direct result of a windfall from selling a company.  

Conducted over the course of the last three years, Carrier’s investigation into its clients’ backgrounds involved one-on-one interviews with advisors and 30 hours of desk research.  

Perhaps one of the most surprising revelations was the involvement of these high-net-worth individuals in their travel planning, with just one of the 35 clients using a personal assistant to communicate with the agent. The others were found to be actively engaged in organising the holiday, collaborating with their advisor rather than delegating the entire project to them.  

“It makes sense, they’re used to operating like this in their work and enjoy the process,” said Rick Milne, sales and commercial director at Carrier.

“They may seem unreachable, but they’re often passionate about talking about and planning travel.”  

Milne emphasised how the period after a client sells their business can be a key opportunity for an advisor, due to the popularity of travel as a tool of celebration after a successful career move. 

Many entrepreneurs also suffer from ‘deal fatigue’ following the stress of lengthy negotiations, and will likely benefit from the support of a travel professional to organise their trip.  

Elsewhere in its report, Carrier revealed that the technology industry produced the most high-value clients, accounting for 35% of its bookings that exceeded £100,000.

Finance was the second highest, with 20% of bookings driven by those working for hedge funds, private equity and investment banking. Meanwhile, healthcare, especially private practice, was the third most important sector at 15%.