CONSUMER CONFIDENCE:WITH THE WORLD'S money men collectively clasping their heads in despair, the recent launch of Jet Republic's fleet of 110 members-only Learjets seemed an ill-timed anomaly.
Coupled with the acquisition by Kuoni of fellow high-end operator Carrier, which made travel-industry headlines this week, it begs the question of whether any clouds are gathering at all in the sunny-skied world of luxury travel.
Martin Penrose, marketing director for Irish tour operator Escape2, is sanguine. "Luxury travel appears to be unaffected by the current economic situation," he says. "We have just taken part in a honeymoon show at the RDS, and it was our most popular event in the last three years. People are being cautious, however they still need to go on honeymoon and still need their annual holiday."
It's a sentiment echoed by Louise O'Riordan, global brand director for high-end members' club Quintessentially. "Our bookings are as healthy as they were this time last year," she says. "We're getting requests for £25,000-a-week [€31,000-a-week] villas in the Caribbean at Christmas, but, equally, people want to be more low-key."
Hugh Staunton of Trailfinders' Dublin office agrees. "We are still booking people into very high-end resorts, just not in the same volumes as before," he says. "People are still going on holiday, though maybe taking two holidays a year rather than four."
Many high-end operators may not feel the credit crunch until well into 2009. That said, travellers with cash to spare could pick up a lot more five-star bargains if the chilly financial winds continue to blow.