Wealthy adventure-seekers have shown a “marked increase” in booking an extreme trip despite the tragic implosion of the Titan submersible, according to the founder of a luxury travel company.
London-based travel agency Brown and Hudson — which offers white-knuckle experiences including heli-skiing, mountain climbing and trekking in remote locations — said its rich clientele have not been deterred by the disaster.
“Tragedies sometimes generate interest in other areas of extreme travel,” Philippe Brown, the firm’s founder, told The Post on Wednesday.
He also noted a “marked increase” in travelers’ interest in the agency’s pricey membership, with many inquiring about “risk assessment, management and mitigation — a subject that is not spoken about in luxury travel,” Brown said.
The submersible’s demise last week as it headed to the Titanic shipwreck in the North Sea led to the deaths of British billionaire Hamish Harding and the other four people aboard.
But Brown said he’s not surprised that his clients would still want to partake in extreme tourism.
“Every day there are tragic accidents in all areas of life, and life continues,” he said.
Through Brown and Hudson doesn’t advertise membership pricing on its site, members reportedly pay annual retainers of between $12,350 and $127,400, plus taxes, Brown said.
On top of retainers, trips can cost well into six figures.
The firm offered itineraries that included a dive to the Titanic with OceanGate, which charged $250,000 per seat on the five-person submersible.
Brown told Insider that three of his clients had committed to take a trip on Titan but “pulled out at the last minute” over scheduling issues.
Some wanted “bragging rights” or had always been fascinated by the wreck, while others saw it as an investment and hoped to sell their spot in the future, he told the outlet.
Brown and Hudson advisors meet with clients to discuss their dream vacations before beginning to plan trips.
“For most of our clients, Titanic came into that,” Brown told Insider of his clients’ bucket-list items.
Brown said his global clientele ranges from investment bankers to Silicon Valley tech bros and “the kind of people that would go to Davos or the Sun Valley Conference.”
The firm is currently planning a trip for 12 US investment bankers to go off-road biking in war-torn northern Syria, the founder told the outlet.
“Beyond a certain point of wealth, you are not interested in another flashy car or the latest iPhone,” Brown said, noting that the world’s top 1% are instead looking to gain adventurous experiences rather than material objects as a symbol of their status.
“Stuff tends to have less value and you don’t need to show off quite as much because you know that you are worth a billion, so you don’t need to display your wealth. It’s just part of you,” Brown added, according to Insider.
He continued: “For some people it might be connected to one-upmanship or being the first to do something, being able to tell a cool story to your family or friends.”
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
