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Luxury Travel Collection members within Travel Associates and LTC’s Independent Members will capitalise on the expertise of UK-headquartered business unit Scott Dunn, as the FCTG brands forge a tighter partnership in the Asia Pacific region.

In Sydney last week, Mike Harlow, General Manager of Scott Dunn Asia Pacific said the ultra-luxury travel brand – which Flight Centre Travel Group acquired in early 2023 – has “started to build connections with business leaders here,” following the Business Owners Island Soirée at Hayman Island in May.

“We think that there’s a huge opportunity in our Asia program and being able to support you all of delving further into the world of luxury travel,” Harlow told an intimate group of LTC and Travel Associate advisors.

Based in Singapore, Harlow has been with Scott Dunn for 10 years. Beginning his career with the brand as a former Chalet Host, he moved to travel consultancy in the UK and quickly became a top seller with the business before moving into a sales role, managing various teams in London. He move to Asia in 2019.

Harlow said Scott Dunn is providing his counterpart Luxury Travel Collection members access to its “best consultants in the business” to provide expert knowledge within the ultra-luxury sector in Asia.

“We want to be able to give you that one point contact who can deliver that whole travel experience, end-to-end for your clients.”

“Over the past 40 years we’ve built up a really good commercial buying platform, which we want to be able to share with your clients and pass on that commercial opportunity.”

Harlow told LATTE that because Scott Dunn doesn’t operate with a bricks-and-mortar office, introducing the brand to the Australian market is possible.

Harlow was in Sydney for Luxperience 2024, where he also spoke on an industry panel.

Scott Dunn global booking trends

Harlow discussed the latest trends Scott Dunn is seeing globally in terms of bookings and what destinations have been on the mind of high-net-worth-individuals in the region in 2024.

The leading destinations are: 1) Baja California Sur, Mexico; then 2) Greenland’s High Arctic; 3) Morocco’s Imperial Cities (such as Casablanca and Rabat); 4) the Italian island of Sardinia; and 5) Scandinavia (Norway and Finland) over summer.

Similar to a study revealed by Virtuoso mid-year, ‘Cool-cations’ are becoming increasingly popular with luxury travellers, steering away from traditional core destinations in Europe, likely due to the huge crowds, “adapting to overtourism, prioritising sustainable travel and acknowledging the impact climate change is having on seasonality and affordability.”

The booking behaviour of Scott Dunn guests also reflects a rebound in tourism to the likes of Sri Lanka (up 78% year-on-year) and Thailand (+28%), while Indonesia and the Maldives remain very popular (up 45% and 42% respectively).

By far, the destination that has skyrocketed with bookings compare to last year is China – up a whopping 400% globally, and 125% from Asia Pacific, as guests look for alternatives beyond Japan

Destinations that have experienced a drop are the Middle East and Egypt, the latter down 38%.

“Eclipse chasing” has also grown in popularity with travellers, and cruise lines have responded in droves by tweaking itineraries and programs to include the solar eclipse whenever they can.

Another trend flagged by Scott Dunn was a shift in peak travel for safari, from December to March, “as affordability and unreliable weather renders seasonality less relevant than ever.”

Lead image: Mike Harlow, General Manager, Scott Dunn, Asia Pacific, with Danielle Galloway, Global Managing Director – Luxury & Independent, Flight Centre Travel Group.

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