Cape Town-based luxury specialist Ker & Downey Africa has lifted the lid on the spending habits and shifting preferences of the continent’s ultra-high-net-worth visitors, with its newly published 2025 intelligence report pointing to a market in which destination, discretion and personalisation now trump price.
The operator, which counts a substantial share of repeat clients from North America, Europe and Asia, says the headline finding of its year-end analysis is that choice of country is overtaking both experience type and budget as the principal driver of booking decisions, particularly among travellers from the United States and China.
“We’re seeing that destination choice is leading decision-making in key markets such as the USA and China, often taking precedence over experience type or budget considerations,” said Jenieen van den Heever, chief operating officer at Ker & Downey Africa. “Travellers from Brazil and Germany are generally less price-sensitive. Across all markets, however, there is a clear and consistent focus on aspirational destinations paired with luxury, high-touch service, discretion and privacy.”
Van den Heever added that value-added extras such as complimentary room upgrades, VIP amenity packages and personalised meet-and-greet services were proving increasingly influential in how high-spending guests rated their overall experience, a trend that has obvious implications for hoteliers and ground handlers chasing the top end of the corporate and leisure-blend market.
The report, which draws on Ker & Downey’s own client data from the 2025 calendar year, shows that the bulk of bookings last year came from couples, a blend of honeymooners and retirees, alongside small family groups. That represents a notable shift from the multi-generational boom that dominated African luxury travel immediately after the pandemic.
The company is already reporting a swing back in the opposite direction in the early weeks of 2026, with an uptick in enquiries for multi-generational holidays, particularly those involving exclusive-use villas, private guides and buy-outs of smaller camps, a trend likely to be of interest to properties weighing up how much inventory to ring-fence for full-lodge takeovers.
Americans accounted for the largest share of luxury arrivals in 2025, followed by visitors from Germany, China and Brazil. South Africa was by some distance the most popular country, ahead of Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zanzibar and Namibia.
Although demand runs the full length of the calendar, July emerged as the single strongest month, with June to September forming a consistently busy window across both East and Southern Africa. A second peak runs from December to February, driven largely by South Africa and Rwanda.
Breaking the seasonality down by country, South Africa posts its strongest months in March, July, October, December and February; Tanzania draws the crowds from June through September; Kenya peaks in June, July, September and December; Botswana performs best in May, July and August; while Rwanda enjoys a particularly long season, stretching from May to September and again from December to February.
Couples are staying longer than families, with average trips of ten to fourteen nights, compared with seven to ten nights for those travelling with children.
On the ground, the most sought-after experiences in 2025 were Big Five safaris, wine and culinary breaks in Cape Town and the Cape Winelands, Great Migration game drives in the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, hot-air ballooning over the migration herds, cultural immersions in Egypt and with Kenya’s Masai communities, and gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
American guests out-spent all other nationalities on safari in 2025, with Germany, Latin America, Asia and France rounding out the top five by outlay per trip, figures that underline the continuing importance of long-haul premium routes from North America and Western Europe to Africa’s hub airports.
Van den Heever said the company’s reliance on repeat business was itself a barometer of how the continent was performing as a luxury proposition. “Our business is driven by repeat customers. We have customers who return twice a year as seasoned travellers, and others who return once a year as they explore more of Africa’s beauty. Every region in Africa offers a unique experience, making it the perfect destination to return to year after year. Africa is not a one-hit wonder, with each destination across the continent offering something new to explore.”
For buyers and travel managers servicing UHNW clients, the message from Cape Town is clear: the 2026 pitch will be won or lost on destination storytelling, genuine privacy and the quiet, personalised touches that no amount of discounting can replicate.