Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
U.S.A.
English
Canada
English
Canada Quebec
Français
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Air
  • Training & Resources
  • Luxury Travel Report

Around-the-World Private Jet Tours Seen as Growth Market for 2024

by Barbara Peterson  November 01, 2023
Around-the-World Private Jet Tours Seen as Growth Market for 2024

Photo: Abercrombie & Kent 

As travel rebounds, many travel advisors are seeing renewed demand for that bucket list classic—a trip around the world.  In the past year, as countries like China and Australia ended their long lockdowns, interest in longer trips that span multiple continents has surged.

“Travelers are seeking something different,” says Henry Harteveldt, founder and travel analyst at Atmosphere Research.  “There’s definitely an element of bragging rights here.”   

And while it took Jules Verne’s Phileas Fog 80 days to circumnavigate the globe, travelers today can circle the earth, in far more comfort, in less than four weeks.  That is if they take the most luxurious and expensive route and travel via chartered jet.

Tour operator Abercrombie & Kent, for example, one of the pioneers of the private jet tour, is offering several round-the-world departures for 2024,  including one led by company founder Geoffrey Kent.  The 26-day trip departs on Oct. 13 and makes eight stops on five continents, including offbeat destinations like Ladakh, Malta, and Easter Island.

Another itinerary, focused on wildlife, departs Feb. 14 and over 25 days makes stops in Japan, Malaysia, India, Madagascar, Uganda, and Kenya.  A third trip, new this year, departs Sept. 2 and takes in Fiji, Tasmania, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Mauritius,  Zambia and Brazil. The idea is to offer clients a way to experience as many diverse ecosystems and species as possible in a three-and-a-half-week whirlwind tour, according to Ann Epting, A&K senior vice president, of private jet and special interest travel.

Some of the creatures that clients may glimpse include the famed Tasmanian devil, the Komodo dragon, and the Sri Lankan leopard, as well as the ever-popular “Big Five” of safari fame in Africa. 

Flights are via Boeing 757 aircraft, with a layout of 48 fully lie-flat first class seats, and are operated under a longstanding arrangement with Icelandair, which provides flight crews, maintenance, and other services.

The price tag, of course, is not cheap: the A&K round-the-world jaunts range from $164,950 per person for the 25-day wildlife trip to $184,950 per person for the Geoffrey Kent-led 26-day tour. The cost is in line with other private jet offerings, including those operated by TCS World Travel, via its 52-seat Airbus A321. TCS is offering 10 RTW itineraries from this fall through December 2025.

Epting says that travel agencies book a majority of A&K’s private jet guests and that the company works closely with all major agency chains and consortia, including American Express, Ensemble, Signature, Travel Leaders, and Virtuoso.

And while clients could circle the globe for far less money on commercial airline flights, agents say they understand the appeal of the private jet angle.

“Part of what you are paying for is a fully buttoned-up itinerary and real end-to-end planning,” says Paul Tumpowsky, CEO of Skylark Travel, in New York. “After all, you’re going to multiple countries, getting multiple visas, and if you were booking this yourself, you’d be flying on multiple airlines.

Going private “means you always know where your bag is,” he quips. “You know you’ll be getting great customer service.”

Fun Fact: What counts as a true round-the-world trip? According to the New York-based Circumnavigators Club—which boasts 700-plus globe-girdling members—you must travel in one direction only (no backtracking allowed), cross every meridian, and return to the same country you departed from. (Some purists say you must also cross the equator and cover more distance than the circumference of the earth, or more than 24,901 miles.) That aside, any mode of travel counts, from small sailboats to hot-air balloons.

  
  
Related Articles
TCS World Travel Reveals 2026 Private Jet Expeditions, Teases 2027 Debuts
AdventureWomen Debuts Private Jet Tour
Abercrombie & Kent’s 2026 Private Jet Journeys Revealed
What Advisors Need to Know About Chartering Private Jets with Chartright
Southwest’s Hawaii Flights Back on Track as Federal Government Reopens
European Airlines Adding Transatlantic Flights for 2019 as Brexit Fears Ease
Four Seasons Looks to Redefine Modern Luxury Air Travel with New Jet
Advisors Concerned Over Delta SkyMiles Changes Impact on Delta Vacations Bookings
New All-Business Class Airline Beond to Begin Operation with Maldives Routes

MOST VIEWED

  1. U.S. Issues Worldwide Travel Warning for All Americans Traveling Abroad
  2. Travel Leaders Network President John Lovell to Depart for Cruise Role
  3. Hilton Rewards Reservations Canceled Amid Transition of Playa Hotels to Hyatt
  4. Delta Air Lines Clarifies Schedule Change Policy for Travel Agencies
  5. Ask-an-Advisor: How Do I Know When It’s Time to Fire a Client?
  6. Here Are All the New Cruise Ships Coming in 2026, 2027, and Beyond


  1. Former Virgin Voyages Head of Sales John Diorio Lands New Role at Celestyal
  2. U.S. and International Airlines Halt Dubai, Mideast Flights Due to Iran-Israel Conflict
  3. Overtourism Backlash Heats Up in Europe as Summer Season Kicks Off
  4. New Greece Cruise Passenger Tax Coming this July
  5. What Does Success Look Like for a Travel Advisor?
  6. New U.S. Travel Bans Would Hinder Tourism, Industry Leaders Say
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth luxury coverage, analysis of luxury news, luxury trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
United Airlines Sets Date for First Starlink Flights
United Airlines Sets Date for First Starlink Flights

Starlink will debut on United’s Embraer 175 jets.

Delta Air Lines Drops Los Angeles-Tahiti Flight
Delta Air Lines Drops Los Angeles-Tahiti Flight

Delta had been flying the route since December 2022.

Fiji Airways Joins oneworld Alliance, Adopts American’s AAdvantage Program
Fiji Airways Joins oneworld Alliance, Adopts American’s AAdvantage Program

Fiji Airways, the flag carrier of Fiji and the South Pacific, is now officially a part of the oneworld alliance.

4 Qualifying Questions Travel Advisors Should Ask Clients with Autism
4 Qualifying Questions Travel Advisors Should Ask Clients with Autism

Advice for selling accessible travel to neurodivergent customers, from the experts.

Delta Air Lines Offers Medallion Status Match to Southwest A-List Members
Delta Air Lines Offers Medallion Status Match to Southwest A-List Members

Delta Air Lines is trying to draw some of Southwest’s spurned travelers.

American Airlines Adds Flights to Cancun and Punta Cana
American Airlines Adds Flights to Cancun and Punta Cana

American is expanding service to two warm-weather destinations.

TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
View All
Advertiser's Voice
The Collette Premium Experience
About Travel Market Report Mission Meet the Team Advisory Board Advertise Syndication Guidelines
TMR Resources Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
© 2005 - 2025 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Manage cookie preferences