Social media and popular television shows such as Succession and The White Lotus are also opening people’s eye’s to the lifestyles of the rich and famous, driving aspiration. As a consequence, rising numbers of people are clubbing together to charter yachts and buy-out mansions.
Take the trip: In February 2024, Soneva Secret (+960 660 4300) will open as a standalone 14-villa resort in the Maldives, each with its own private chef and ample space for friends and family. Villas sleep up to four and cost from £4,039 per night for two adults and two children.
If you have pockets as deep as the Roy family, the 12-room Le Grand Jardin, Cannes is located on an island off the south of France. Stays are a minimum of one week and you will need a generous budget for all the extras such as staff, food and champagne (this isn’t a self-catering kind of place). A one-week buy-out costs from £266,000, so this is very much one per cent territory.
DNA pilgrimages
If you are one of the many people who receive a DNA kit for Christmas (the global home genetic testing kit market remains on an upward trajectory and is expected to surpass £7 billion by 2028), then you won’t be alone. But once you find out your hidden heritage, you’re sure to be curious about the places your ancestors are from.
By combining innovative science with expert historic research, DNA pilgrimages offer people the chance to bring their legacy to life and learn more about who they are and the people and places they have come from. While this trend isn’t new, the pandemic saw many people hit pause on this dream, but it’s definitely on the rise again this year.
Where to start: You can’t plan a journey to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors until you know where they’re from. DNA Home testing kits with Ancestry DNA cost from £59. After putting a few drops of saliva in a tube and sending it off to a lab, you will then be informed about your heritage and can either organise a trip to the destination yourself or consult your favourite operator to pull a trip together for you.
Indigenous immersions
Community engagement is one of the best examples of tourism as a force for good in the world – when done responsibly – because it directs money straight into the hands of people who need it most. But in the coming years special attention needs to be made to indigenous people because, although they only make up six per cent of the Earth’s population, they protect 80 per cent of the planet’s biodiversity. Indigenous immersions provide a unique opportunity to spend an extended period with a tribe, village or family that is very different to your own.