Next Wednesday, a group of Korean travelers will sit inside a yurt on the Kazakh steppe and watch a rocket leave the ground. The seat, located at a safe distance from the launch pad, costs 28 million won, or roughly $20,600, per person.
The seven-day Kazakhstan itinerary, sold by Modetour, is built around the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It covers the Gagarin launch pad, the assembly and fueling complex where the Buran space shuttle is stored, a test stand displaying the Energia-M rocket and an aerospace museum in the city.
The rest of the trip is more conventional, with a cable car ride at Chimbulak, Central Asia's largest ski resort, and stops at Panfilov Park and Zenkov Cathedral, one of the world's tallest wooden buildings and put up without nails.
Business-class fare for all meals, a private vehicle and 300 million won in travel insurance are included. Guests from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province will get a chauffeured car between home and Incheon Airport.
The package sits near the entry point for ultra-premium travel in Korea, which now exceeds 300 million won.
Zeus World, the high-end brand of Hana Tour, sells a 20-day Four Seasons Private Jet trip that starts at 340 million won. A jet reconfigured for 48 passengers departs March 26, 2027, with stops in Hong Kong; Langkawi, Malaysia; Jaipur, India; Venice, Italy; Grindavik, Iceland; Anguilla; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Two journey managers, a concierge, a physician and an executive chef travel the entire route. Meals in the air and gala dinners on the ground are built around food preferences and allergy information collected before departure.
These luxury packages target customers, mostly older buyers, with high purchasing power, according to travel agencies.
Department stores have moved into the same market. Shinsegae launched Via Shinsegae in July last year, the first premium travel brand planned and operated by a Korean department store.
Its best seller is an 18-day route through Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, starting at 36.9 million won. Bookings are capped at 20 people, and the next departure leaves Nov. 3 and returns Nov. 20.
The itinerary begins before the flight, with a lecture from travel writer Tae Won-jun. From there, guests fly Emirates business class, with limousine and chauffeur service at either end. In Brazil, guests stay at Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, the only hotel inside Iguazu National Park, and take a helicopter over Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.
Shinsegae secured Machu Picchu entry tickets, which are difficult to obtain, allowing two days at the site in Peru, and guests ride Inca Rail first class through the Andes. There is one night at Palacio de Sal in Bolivia, billed as the world's first salt hotel, with stargazing on the Uyuni salt flats.
"Customers respond to travel with exclusive content that reflects a global luxury lifestyle layered on top, not travel alone," a Shinsegae Department Store official said.
Hyundai Department Store's premium curation platform The Hyundai Hi targets customers looking for something beyond sightseeing, and offers private travel packages. A night at a private hotel on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in France sells for 30.4 million won for two, excluding flight tickets. A cruise aboard a luxury yacht from resort brand Aman is offered for 59 million won for two, also excluding flight tickets.
Demand has been heavy enough that the chain now runs one-on-one concierge consultations at its Apgujeong main store, Pangyo and The Hyundai Seoul.
This series looks at the latest lifestyles of the ultrarich. — Ed.
