Singapore’s luxury travellers are among the world’s most experienced. Increasingly, that experience is shaping where they go next, with well-travelled clients looking beyond established favourites towards destinations offering greater discovery, adventure and a sense of the unfamiliar.
New 2026 enquiry data from Lightfoot Travel points to the rise of the “second-list destination”: places that may not have traditionally topped the luxury travel bucket list, but are increasingly appealing to travellers who have already explored much of it.
Antarctica is one of the clearest examples, with enquiries more than doubling compared with 2025. Enquiries for South Korea have also more than doubled, while Mongolia is up 75% and Bhutan around 40%. Norway is another destination to watch, with enquiries rising by more than 70%, pointing to growing interest in cooler destinations and travel outside traditional peak seasons. Spain is also gaining ground.
Yet this is not a wholesale shift away from the familiar. South Africa and China remain Lightfoot’s two most-booked destinations among Singapore-based clients in 2026, followed by Japan, Peru and Vietnam. Vietnam has recorded a 50% increase in enquiries, while Japan bookings have risen by 80% year on year.
Rather, Lightfoot sees Singapore’s travel map expanding, with established favourites continuing to command attention alongside destinations that offer experienced travellers something new.
GOING FURTHER, AND DEEPER
Central Asia is one example. While overall enquiry volumes have remained broadly stable, Lightfoot has seen stronger standalone interest in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, suggesting travellers are increasingly considering the region as a destination in its own right.
Alongside this appetite for less familiar places is a desire to experience destinations more deeply. Recent Lightfoot journeys have included spending time with the Vedda community at Gal Oya in Sri Lanka, breakfast with monks following morning prayers in Bhutan, meals with local families in Central Asia and meeting traditional weavers in Peru’s Sacred Valley.
Food is increasingly part of this equation, particularly for Singapore travellers. In Peru, for example, Lightfoot creates food-led journeys that combine internationally recognised restaurants with markets, local ingredients, traditional cooking and opportunities to meet the chefs and producers keeping culinary traditions alive. Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report found that 81% of Singapore families cite culinary exploration as their top family travel activity.
IN THE AGE OF AI, WHAT IS TRAVEL EXPERTISE WORTH?
AI has transformed the way people discover and plan travel. Within seconds, travellers can generate an itinerary, compare hotels and research almost anywhere in the world.
For experienced luxury travellers, Lightfoot believes this is changing rather than diminishing the role of the travel specialist. As information becomes easier to access, the value increasingly lies in knowing what to do with it: which hotel or room is actually right, the exceptional private guide, access that cannot simply be booked online and trusted people on the ground when plans need to change.
“AI has made travel inspiration incredibly accessible, and that is a good thing,” says Jackson Walsh. “Our clients often come to us having already researched a destination and with a strong idea of what they want to do. The question is no longer simply, ‘Where should I go?’ It is ‘How do I make this trip exceptional?’
“An algorithm can produce an itinerary in seconds, but it cannot tell you which guide we have trusted for 15 years, whether something that looks extraordinary online is actually worth the detour, or who to call when a flight is disrupted, unexpected weather changes the plan or something simply doesn’t go as expected.”
TRAVEL BECOMES TIME TOGETHER
Lightfoot is also seeing continued demand for multi-generational travel, with families increasingly using significant holidays as an opportunity to bring several generations together, often from different parts of the world.
Having organised family holidays for more than 15 years, Lightfoot now sees some of the children it first planned trips for helping to shape family travel as young adults, with grandparents joining too. Recent multi-generational journeys have taken clients to Mongolia, Kenya, China, Egypt, Italy, Norway and Peru, while one Silk Road journey through Uzbekistan brought together relatives from Hong Kong and the UK.
“Families aren’t necessarily just looking for a holiday together; they’re looking for meaningful time together,” says Jackson Walsh. “That changes the way we plan, particularly when you have grandparents, teenagers and young children on the same trip. The logistics and pacing matter just as much as the extraordinary experiences.”
LIGHTFOOT TRAVEL’S DESTINATIONS TO WATCH FOR 2027
Based on shifts in Singapore enquiry patterns, Lightfoot identifies Antarctica, Vietnam, Norway, Bhutan, South Korea, Mongolia and Spain among the destinations to watch for 2027.
Spain has seen year-on-year enquiry growth and will have an additional draw when a total solar eclipse crosses the country on 2 August 2027, giving travellers the opportunity to build a journey around a major natural event.
Alongside these emerging choices, established favourite Japan shows no sign of losing its appeal, with bookings increasing by 80% year on year. China also remains a firm favourite, ranking as Lightfoot’s second most-booked destination among Singapore clients in 2026. Lightfoot continues to invest in its first-hand expertise there, with two in-depth research trips planned this year to keep the team closely connected to the latest hotels and experiences, as well as emerging and lesser-known regions.
“Singapore travellers are extraordinarily well travelled, and that changes what luxury travel needs to deliver,” concludes Jackson Walsh. “Our clients still love the classics, but they are increasingly looking for somewhere or something they haven’t experienced before. Whether that means Antarctica, travelling with three generations of the family or discovering a destination through its food and people, the common thread is wanting to come home feeling they have experienced something genuinely special.”
