focus
What luxury
buyers want
Nothing superficial please, and everything transformational,
ILTM Asia-Pacific buyers tell Raini Hamdi
David Song
Founder & managing director
Beyond X Boundaries
Singapore
In one paragraph, what’s unique
about Beyond X Boundaries?
We don’t believe in superficial
luxury. Our clients are first and foremost
curious about Planet Earth’s many
wonders. They enjoy experiential
and transformational travel as we do
our best to help change situations, by
contributing to wildlife conservation
or mitigating poverty problems in
impoverished villages and towns.
What’s making you smile about
the business this year?
With business on the increase year on
year of course you can’t help smiling but
it pleases me the most when our ideas
are now our branding: When people
think of experiential journeys, i.e. very
‘different’ conceptualisation of tours,
they think Beyond X Boundaries.
What’s making you frown?
I’m proud to be born and bred
Singaporean and as a
company, I also am proud
to be a travel outfitter that
celebrates the peculiarities
and diversity of Asia. Hence, when
more and more Singaporean companies
get acquired by bigger and more
powerful, financially resourced
companies from abroad, I feel upset.
For us, our goal is to create a space for
our team members and future Beyond
X men and women to thrive, to use
We don’t
need to be
second-raters.
their creative energy and positive aura to
design outstanding products that match
up to our peers around the world. Just
because we’re Asians does not mean we
have to constantly live in our European
or American counterparts’ shadows.
Why can’t we be another Abercrombie
& Kent or even better? Why can’t we be
another success story like G Adventures
from Canada? We don’t need to be
second-raters.
What opportunities are you
watching out for this year?
Asia still has plenty of room to grow as
a continent and destination. That’s why
ILTM Asia-Pacific in Singapore and Further
East (in Bali) are inaugurating in the
region this year. The West has always been
fascinated with the East while Asians are
also uncovering more of our continent than
Europe or beyond more than ever. When
you look at the likes of Central Asia and
the Silk Road, they scream adventure and
heritage. When you look at Japan, there
are more less-trodden secrets waiting to be
revealed. These represent a better product
focus than destinations such as mainstream
Europe. Even Africa is growing from
strength to strength. Information and
know-how for a DIY trip is scarce.
What are you looking for at ILTM
Asia-Pacific specifically?
As usual, we want to remain most up
to date with travel trends, and we want
to procure experiential products. The
European, Latin American and African
suppliers will be looking to capitalise on
the growth of the Asian market to impress
Asian buyers like ourselves and our guests.
Hence, we are exploring more ideas for
growth with unique, defining products.
In terms of products/sellers,
what’s in and who’s out?
I’m afraid the days of superficial luxury
and chain luxury are over. People
are looking for a distinct character in
accommodations, preferring independence
than something that has been corporatised.
They want to have their own stamp on
their journeys. We only work with small
indie operators who deliver large on
passion, desire and personal relationships.
What’s your luxury motto this year?
Return to innocence. Simplicity in a
nutshell. The growth of the Internet has
made travel complex – too many options
and I’m not a fan of OTAs or hotels
booking websites.
We want our clients to set their
expectations of what they desire on
their trip and we do the rest.
TTG Asia luxury | May 2018 41