World’s richest travelers express growing interest in New Zealand

WELLINGTON. KAZINFORM - New Zealand, Chile, Indonesia and pretty much all of Central Europe are among the most popular emerging destinations for the world's most affluent travelers, according to a newly released report by a luxury travel network.

According to Virtuoso, New Zealand is enjoying a particularly strong surge in interest among the world's richest travelers, recording a nearly 200 percent growth in visits from the network's richest clients over 2013. Chile and Indonesia are also on the wealthy traveler's radar this year more than last, with growth recorded at 103 percent, Euronews reports.

Countries in Central Europe including Hungary, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic have also experienced a surge in interest and visits among the world's richest travelers. Virtuoso is represented by 340 travel agencies around the world that specialize in luxury travel. The report reveals where the affluent will be traveling throughout the remainder of 2014.

Predictably, perennial favorites Italy, the UK and France are the most popular travel destinations for the world's richest globetrotters. Overall, travel to Europe is up by 23 percent compared to last year. The average Virtuoso client is 56 years old and has a median household income of $200,000.

Here are the top 10 travel destinations for the balance of 2014:

1. Italy 2. UK 3. France 4. Canada 5. Spain 6. Germany 7. Mexico 8. South Africa 9. Netherlands 10. Greece

Top 10 ‘hot list' destinations that experienced the highest growth over 2013:

1. New Zealand 2. Chile 3. Indonesia 4. Hungary 5. Hong Kong 6. Croatia 7. Australia 8. Ecuador 9. Greece 10. Norway