The luxury of travel

HHtravel added three new departure cities in June, bringing its total to six departure locations, including Hong Kong and Taipei.

Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu is the list's only second-tier city. But Chengdu's sales are "pretty good", You said.

A vendor selling seashells attracts a Chinese tourist on the beach in Mauritius on Feb 10, 2005. Wu Kaixiang / Xinhua

HHtravel is expanding to meet growing and diversifying luxury travel demands. It offers more than 100 tours and plans to accelerate new products' introduction, You said.

Chinese luxury travelers' expectations are also becoming more erudite, You said.

"The country is a latecomer to the luxury tourism sector but has leapfrogged earlier consumers' sophistication," he believed.

High-end tours usually feature flights that are at least business class, five-star hotels and Michelin restaurant reservations.

Keeping the groups within six to 10 customers ensures quality service, You said.

But some industry insiders contend Chinese luxury tours require more than comfort.

"High-end tourists want more exceptional destinations on their itineraries," China International Tourism Service Ltd's outbound European destination department general manager Rao Tian explained.

"Upgraded accommodation is just their fundamental expectation."

Most elite tourists already have rich overseas travel experience, he said.

They want something new, something more. That is what his company strives to provide, he said.

Rao's agency sets aside luxury-item shopping hours in Paris and can provide private housekeepers who serve clients throughout their journeys.

"Additional services, of course, cost extra," he said.

Travel agencies are also discovering how discerning their elite clients can be.

Shanghai entrepreneur Ma Ding had some suggestions for HHtravel after he spent 500,000 yuan on its 2010 60-day round-the-world trip.

He advised the agency designate staffers to help travelers check in and make customs declarations. Most high-end tourists, the majority of whom are entrepreneurs, do not want to spend their time on such procedures.