Asia’s diverse cultures, heritage value, warm hospitality, and safety are expected to keep moneyed Europeans invested in exploring the region this year despite mounting global geopolitical issues that could impact travel confidence, opined Astrid Oberhummer, CEO and founder of Lobster Experience, a specialist in high-end tourism and organiser of B2B events for European luxury travel trade buyers.
In an interview with TTG Asia, Oberhummer underscored the value of safety among high-end European travellers.
“Asia is seen as being rather neutral in the current state of geopolitical affairs, and is therefore regarded as a safe region for holidays,” she stated, adding that modern airports with premium lounges, a well-established global air network, luxury hotels, and destination experiences that are aligned with Europeans’ travel motivations all come together to create an attractive region.
Oberhummer shared that well-heeled European travellers are incorporating wellness into their holiday, preferring traditional healing as well as science-backed treatments; prioritising sustainable and responsible tourism products; splurging on multi-generational trips; and demanding immersive itineraries that provide a deeper look into destinations.
While travel disruptions are more common in today’s volatile world, Oberhummer said high-net-worth travellers’ reliance on travel agents are helping to maintain travel confidence.
“You could hardly go anywhere today without something happening at the moment. And with the Europeans, especially those from German-speaking markets, being so driven by security, travel agents play such a big role in their travel (procurement) journey. Europeans need certainty that there is support in case of a flight disruption or situations in the destination,” she explained.
She believes that Asia can build on its enduring tourism appeal to attract even more European luxury travellers.
“Travel agents are really desperate for information about more Asian products. They have sold the Indian Ocean and the Middle East, which have been hot favourites post-Covid, and now need more options from this region,” said Oberhummer.
Oberhummer’s events team, which produces a series of Loop events connecting luxury travel agents from across various European markets with destination representatives, is now looking to expand the Asian seller community.
Asian sellers are guaranteed connections with “serious, discerning and educated buyers” with sustained outbound business appetite, especially travel agents from the affluent DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), as well as Central and Eastern European markets, and Northern Europe.
“It has become complex to define where European travel business is coming from. For example, some travel agencies serving the Russians are now based in Europe while some agencies operating in Vienna do not serve the Austrian market. When sellers attend our Loop events, we bring them clarity in connections,” she added.
Lobster Experience will host Loop Leisure Spring and Loop MICE Spring in Madeira, Portugal, from March 22 to 29, 2026. However, Asian sellers have year-round opportunities to connect with their desired European markets through other Loop events, such as Loop Beyond Borders in Baden-Baden, Germany and Loop Wellbeing in Mallorca, Spain, both in October.
