Japan has overtaken Italy as the top international destination for high-net-worth Australian and New Zealand travellers, according to the Virtuoso 2026 Luxe Report for the region. Tokyo has claimed the number-one city ranking, edging out the European favourites that have traditionally dominated Australian luxury travel wish lists. The findings offer a revealing picture of where premium travel demand is shifting, and what it means for the aviation experiences that underpin those journeys.
Japan at the Top
The elevation of Japan reflects a broader realignment of luxury travel preferences among affluent Australians. It is not that Europe has lost its appeal – Paris, Rome and Santorini remain firmly in the conversation – but Japan’s combination of cultural depth, exceptional hospitality standards, culinary precision and relative geographic accessibility from Australia’s east coast has made it an increasingly compelling choice for the high-end traveller who wants an experience genuinely different to anything available at home.
For Australia’s luxury travel trade, Japan’s rise also signals something about client expectations. These are not itinerary-by-committee trips built around airport connections and group transfers. They are carefully curated journeys that benefit enormously from the kind of flexibility that private jet hire and dedicated aircraft charter can provide – particularly for travellers who want to access regional Japan beyond Tokyo, or who are combining the country with other parts of the itinerary on their own schedule.
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Europe Holds Its Ground
Despite Japan’s ascent, European destinations remain a core part of the 2026 luxury travel picture for Australians. The Virtuoso report highlights strong continued demand for Greece and Croatia in particular, driven by yachting and island-hopping itineraries that place a premium on flexibility and access to smaller ports and harbours.
For a traveller combining a Greek island itinerary with a stay in Athens or Santorini, the ability to charter aircraft to and from smaller regional airports – rather than routing through Athens or Split on a commercial timetable – represents a meaningful upgrade in the quality of the experience. The same logic applies to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, where access to Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar and the islands is considerably more elegant via private jet charter than commercial routing allows.
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The Pacific and Fiji
The report also notes ongoing interest from affluent Australians and New Zealanders in Fiji and wider South Pacific resort escapes. This is a category where Australia’s own luxury travel sector has a natural advantage: the Coral Sea and South Pacific are effectively Australia’s back yard, and private aviation makes an already short journey into something genuinely seamless.
For high-net-worth clients who want a South Pacific experience that feels far removed from commercial travel – no check-in queues, no layovers, no exposure to airport crowds at either end – a tailored luxury charter flight to Fiji, Vanuatu or the Cook Islands offers exactly that. The journey becomes part of the luxury experience rather than an obstacle to it.
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What the Data Tells the Trade
The Virtuoso Luxe Report is produced annually with input from Virtuoso’s network of luxury travel advisors, and it carries weight as a directional indicator of where premium travel spend is heading. For inbound tour operators, premium wholesalers and luxury travel consultants, the 2026 findings point to a few clear conclusions.
First, the destinations that are gaining ground – Japan, Greece, Croatia, the South Pacific – are ones where schedule flexibility and bespoke access matter most. Commercial aviation can get travellers to Tokyo Narita or Athens International, but it cannot take them to Kanazawa on a Tuesday morning, or position them perfectly between Hvar and Dubrovnik without a car transfer and a ferry. Private and group charter flights solve that problem at every point in the itinerary.
Second, the travellers described in the Virtuoso report are not making trade-offs in their travel decisions. They are not choosing the convenient option or the affordable option. They are choosing the best option available, and they expect the aviation component of their journey to match the standard of the hotels and experiences they have booked around it.
Third, for travel advisors building relationships with this client segment, the aviation conversation matters from the outset. A luxury itinerary designed around commercial connections is a luxury itinerary with a ceiling on it. One designed around private plane hire has no such ceiling.
Australia’s Own Luxury Travel Scene
While international demand is shifting, the Virtuoso report period coincides with a significant expansion in Australia’s domestic luxury accommodation offering. Properties like Capella Sydney, The Langham Gold Coast and the forthcoming Waldorf Astoria Sydney and Ritz-Carlton Gold Coast are drawing high-net-worth travellers who might previously have looked offshore for a comparable hotel experience. That trend, combined with Australia’s world-class food, wine and nature experiences, makes the case for domestic and short-haul luxury itineraries stronger than it has been in a generation.
For international visitors and domestic high-net-worth travellers alike, private aviation is the thread that ties those experiences together. Whether it is a fly-drive combining Sydney’s new luxury hotels with the Hunter Valley, a multi-destination Queensland programme taking in the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef, or a charter connecting a corporate delegation from multiple Australian cities for a single event, Adagold Aviation’s charter services provide the aviation foundation for itineraries that could not otherwise exist.
Planning for 2026 and Beyond
With more than 34 years of experience and over 10,000 charters completed, Adagold works with luxury travel professionals to build the aviation component of extraordinary journeys. The Virtuoso findings confirm that Australia’s wealthiest travellers have more ambition for their journeys than ever. The right aircraft, on the right schedule, to the right destination, makes all of that possible.
Contact the Adagold team to discuss charter solutions for your clients’ 2026 travel plans.
