NEW YORK, Jan 23 — Mexico is the preferred destination among the ranks of America’s richest travellers, for whom money is no object and the world is at their well-heeled, designer-clad feet.
That’s according to the results of a new study that looked at the travel trends of the richest one per cent of Americans.
For the report, international travel and tourism consultancy group Resonance Consultancy analysed data from more than 1,660 travellers with a household income of at least US$200,000 (RM854,310) or a net worth of US$2 million.
Compared to the average American traveller who takes about five trips a year, the top five per cent of richest Americans take about 14 trips a year, divided roughly between business and leisure trips.
Likewise, while the typical traveller will spend an average of US$1,347 per person, per vacation, the affluent traveller will spend about US$3,115.
With that kind of budget, that means reserving stays at high-end hotels such as the Four Seasons and Hilton, which are the preferred brands of the wealthiest one per cent.
And while the middle-class and more budget-conscious traveller may spend hours on end shopping for flight and hotel deals online, analysts found that wealthy travellers are more likely to book directly with a hotel or airline.
Here are the top 10 travel destinations among America’s top one per cent:
1. Mexico (26per cent)
2. Canada (24per cent)
3. Italy (24per cent)
4. England (22per cent)
5. France (22per cent)
6. Germany (14per cent)
7. Bahamas (14per cent)
8. Anguilla (13per cent)
9. Australia (12per cent)
10. US Virgin Islands (11per cent) — AFP-Relaxnews
