SINGAPORE, Sept. 8 — Affluent travellers across Asia are trading up in a big way, according to fresh demand data from Trip.com Group that points to premium travel as one of the fastest-growing segments in the region. The study, released September 7 and reported by TTG Asia, found global searches for first and business class flights jumped 99 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2026.
Five-star hotel searches rose 57 per cent over the same stretch, while bookings for custom tours — fully tailored itineraries arranged through a chat with a travel expert — surged over 600 per cent globally. The heaviest demand is coming out of China, Hong Kong and Singapore, markets the platform identifies as having some of the fastest-growing populations of affluent travellers.
Among Trip.com’s top two membership tiers, Black Diamond and Diamond+, custom tours rank as one of the fastest-growing product lines. Black Diamond members, who enjoy access to a dedicated 24/7 relations management team, make almost 20 times the number of bookings compared with the average member. Live entertainment is a major draw for splurging.
Sixty-three per cent of Asia-Pacific travellers have crossed borders for concerts, and 66 per cent say they are willing to travel abroad for one. Trip.com Group has responded with bundled packages that pair concert tickets with accommodation, transport and local attractions, a format that delivered triple-digit growth in 2025.
Japan is a standout destination in the premium segment. Four of the top ten most-booked five-star hotels globally sit in the country, and the Tokyo-Sapporo route is the top-selling first class flight. Worldwide searches for “luxury” and “best spas” rose 170 per cent, and interest in the platform’s “Platinum Luxury Hotels” in the first half of 2026 has concentrated on properties in China and South-east Asia.
China has emerged as a popular destination for high-end stays at comparatively lower prices, with Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong supplying the largest overseas source markets. International premium-class travellers expect to spend at least 14 days overseas per trip, nearly 40 per cent more than the average traveller, with European premium travellers stretching that to around 20 days. More than four in ten first and business class flights booked globally in the second half of 2026 are long-haul.
The demographic profile skews middle-aged: close to one in two international travellers booking five-star hotels in the second half of 2026 are aged 35 to 49, the same group forming the largest share of premium flight bookings. Senior travel is also accelerating — Trip.com Group’s Old Friends Club, aimed at users aged 50 and above, saw gross hotel bookings rise over 100 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, with that demographic’s spending power running three times that of younger travellers.
Watch for whether the premium surge holds as carriers and hoteliers in Asia add capacity on long-haul routes, particularly into Japan and China, where the platform’s data shows demand concentrating.
