Isolating In Style

As Covid-19 disrupts the global travel and tourism sector some luxury operators are staying afloat by helping the super-rich isolate themselves in style from the potentially lethal virus.

- Sam Mckeith

The coronavirus pandemic has turned the global travel and tourism industry upside down, causing chaos for airlines, hotels, tourism operators and travel agents across the world. Still, there are pockets of the industry that are bucking the trend and finding ways to survive despite the virus shutting down airports, national borders and many aspects of normal life.

One niche holding up amid the turmoil is the luxury short-term rental market in locations far from major cities and towns where well-heeled travellers have headed to isolate in style.

SEEKING ACREAGE

At View Retreats, a luxury accommodation platform that lists 650 premium rental properties in Australia and New Zealand, Co-Founder Mat Lewis admits that COVID-19 has dented trade. But he remains upbeat given that, before lockdown regulations came into play, he fielded plenty of enquiries for rentals in rugged areas like the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and around Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island.

Lewis says many of the bookings are from wealthy families keen to quarantine themselves in places that are both a safe distance out of the city and child-friendly.“A lot of these beautiful luxury properties are on acreage and so when you get there you find a huge amount of space for you and the family. Some of the properties also have tennis courts and pools and it’s all totally private,” he tells The CEO Magazine.

Professional couples who were keen to leave big centres also took advantage of the booking platform, which lists rental properties that cost up to A$19,000 per night. “They were mainly looking for seven days or longer and most bookings are located within a few hours of the city,” he says.