In a region where luxury travel is becoming increasingly democratised, a new class of tastemakers is quietly rewriting the rules, shifting the definition of luxury away from status symbols towards something far more elusive: access.
At a fireside chat at the inaugural GTM Luxury Asia Pacific show, a panel featuring Jess Yap, founder and director of Intriq Journey, and Pamela Tan, founder of Gourmet Trails, agreed that today’s high-net-worth travellers are no longer chasing five-star labels, but seeking entry into worlds few can reach on their own.
Yap, whose company specialises in pushing geographical and experiential boundaries, says the demand for rare access has been building for years.
“We were among the first to venture into destinations like Iran and Ethiopia, and sell expedition cruises to Antarctica,” she said. “We realised there’s a sizeable group of well-seasoned, high-net-worth travellers who shared our desire to go to such destinations beyond the ordinary, but who struggled to find a travel specialist that could understand these interests.”
Tan’s approach at Gourmet Trails centres on food as the ultimate cultural gateway, one that moves travellers from passive observers to active participants.
She described a village dinner party her team planned at a Romanian countryside that had no hotels nor restaurants.
“As you enter, there are musicians playing and a long table filled with food made by the host’s neighbours, friends, someone's aunts, nephew, and some of the best goulash I’ve ever had, cooked over a fire in the garden.
“This is what makes such moments so meaningful, because they are experiences hosted by the locals themselves, not by a tourism company.
“It’s not always about Michelin stars,” Tan added.
Meaning over mileage
For luxury travel advisors, designing journeys that prioritise meaning over mileage signals a growing rejection of checklist-driven itineraries. With information on attractions and sights so readily available online, the value of travel advisors lies in how they bring meaning into the places guests visit.
“Be a traveller, not a tourist,” Tan emphasised. “It’s about connection. How do we make a moment meaningful? It is not about hitting off a checklist of places to see, but what are the memories we’re creating?”
Yap echoed this sentiment, noting a parallel trend towards off-season and counter-flow travel. “We don’t want to follow the crowd,” she said. “We’re coming up with itineraries that go in the opposite direction of where the usual traveller goes. It's something that we have been trying to educate and create awareness amongst our guests as well.”
She hopes that travellers will be more open to exploring destinations and modalities beyond what’s familiar, such as rail travel. “While cruises have picked up in Southeast Asia, I hope that rail journeys will start becoming more popular, as they really take you into the heart of a country,” she adds.
The advisor’s edge in an AI-driven world
With the proliferation of social media and AI, the role of the advisor is also being challenged. “It’s a love-hate relationship,” Yap admitted.
“Clients are using AI and sometimes even fact-checking us against it. But AI still gets some things wrong, so that gap does exist. No matter how much AI evolves, it cannot replace the experience and human touch of a travel advisor.
For Tan, the distinction is even clearer. “We are in the people business,” she said. “Travel is about experience and experience is not AI. It’s what you see, do, and feel in real life. As luxury travel advisors with expertise, we help guide where our clients go to and sometimes it is to places that are not ‘googleable’ or mainstream.”