High-End Travellers Are Powering Global Tourism

While global travel spending has softened in early 2025, luxury travel is charting its own course.

According to Bank of America data, the wealthiest 5% of households continue to drive growth in high-end tourism, particularly abroad.

Europe remains top destinations for affluent travellers, with UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland among the most visited.

Ireland, too, is gaining traction as a luxury destination, offering a blend of dramatic landscapes, boutique hospitality, and discreet exclusivity that appeals to high-end travellers. The strong ancestral and cultural ties also resonate deeply with American visitors.

These jet-setters are not just travelling further, they're spending more. In April alone, 14% of American luxury fashion spending took place overseas, the highest share on record for that month.

This trend suggests high-income individuals are combining travel with high-end retail experiences, favouring destinations that offer both cultural richness and premium shopping.

Unlike mainstream travel, which has been tempered by economic caution, luxury tourism appears resilient.

In response, brands are pivoting to meet this demand; Airbnb, for example, is expanding into luxury travel with new services and experiences, signalling a strategic shift toward more curated, high-end offerings.

For high-net-worth individuals, international holidays are less discretionary and more lifestyle-defining.

From five-star resorts to designer boutiques, this cohort is embracing experiences that blend exclusivity, comfort, and status.

Though much of the data is US-based, the patterns resonate globally: luxury travellers are seeking out meaningful, indulgent escapes.

As summer approaches, the world’s most affluent are already packed and ready, heading not just to destinations, but to distinction.