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Why southeast Asia offers a luxury travel proposition like no other

“Gold Medal’s product chief Deborah Wadhams reveals bookings trends and the high-end product launches to watch ”

Gold Medal Travel Group’s head of worldwide product Deborah Wadhams leads the Destination Management team across the Pure Luxury brand, working hand-in-hand with the Specialist Product team to strengthen supplier partnerships and opportunities across the portfolio.

With southeast Asia showing a surge in demand, Aspire caught up with her to find out more about the booking trends driving interest across the region, how demand for cruise is faring and the luxury product launches to have on your radar.

Q. What key booking trends have you noticed for travel to southeast Asia?

Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a clear uplift in demand for southeast Asia. Vietnam is leading the way, with sales up 144% year on year – driving that growth is the way luxury clients are now booking with a more experience-led mindset. We’re also seeing strong momentum in multi-centre planning, particularly where clients want to combine a flagship city stay with a second or even third contrasting element, whether that’s coastal downtime, countryside immersion or a more touring-led route. As a result, conversations are becoming more consultative, as clients seek our guidance on pacing, routeing and how to make a trip feel seamless rather than overpacked.

Q. Is this demand carrying over into cruise?

Mekong River cruising remains well established and is becoming even more popular, particularly with high spend travellers drawn to the slower pace, unique scenery and meaningful cultural immersion. We’re also seeing Bali grow as a cruise destination, with luxury and premium lines such as Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea and Oceania Cruises expanding voyages to and from Benoa. In addition, booking behaviours at the top end continue to skew well in advance, especially for cruise. For the year to date, our ultra-luxury ‘on the books departures’ for both 2027 and 2028 have seen significant increases year on year, as clients aim to secure their preferred suite category and lock in the overall itinerary early.

Q. Which new hotels and luxury product are you most excited about in the region?

I’m watching Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree in Singapore with real interest. It speaks directly to a growing appetite for nature-led, restorative travel. Four Seasons Hotel Hanoi is another standout and one I expect will quickly become a go-to. It’s perfect for high-end clients who want a refined, central base for Vietnam’s history, food and shopping, and it pairs beautifully with a wider itinerary. On the cruising side, I’m especially looking forward to Explora Journeys debuting in Asia with Explora III. The fact the vessel arrives in Japan in September 2027 and then spends the winter season sailing from major gateways, including Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, makes it a very practical sell, as it opens up a wide range of fly-cruise and multi-centre combinations, while keeping the overall experience consistently high-end throughout.

Q. What’s your trade strategy for fuelling sales?

Luxury travel to southeast Asia is increasingly being sold on the overall journey, not just individual components. Clients want itineraries that feel personal, well paced and effortlessly put together. Our focus is on helping agents build those trips with confidence, combining exceptional places to stay with heritage, cuisine and immersive cultural experiences, while ensuring the logistics feel seamless from start to finish. To support that, we also make it easier to secure key elements early in the planning cycle. With out-of-date-range flights available to pre-book through to January 2029, agents can lock in availability further ahead, reduce friction for clients, and deliver the reassurance that every detail has been considered long before travel begins.

Q. What are the main challenges and opportunities for southeast Asia currently?

The main challenge right now is confidence around connectivity. For luxury clients, the route matters almost as much as the destination, so any sense of uncertainty around logistics can have an influence on willingness to commit. A second, very practical, challenge is forward availability, especially at the top end. Due to increased demand, we are already seeing pressure on hotel and touring availability beyond April 2027, which makes early planning more important than ever. The opportunity is that southeast Asia remains incredibly well placed to meet what luxury travellers are asking for now, which is depth, variety and a sense of discovery without compromising on comfort. Agents who can provide reassurance and access the right product early will win trust and, with it, higher-value bookings.

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