Turn the match into a vacation
For the majority of fans, the World Cup is a journey to hunt for tickets and plan for a few days to watch matches. However, for the super-rich, the tournament is a highlight in long weeks of vacation, combining sports, resorts and exclusive experiences.
According to Jackie DeAntonis, personal customer relations manager of luxury travel company Scott Dunn, her customers hardly care about finding tickets or scheduling. What they are looking for is the most premium tickets, VIP area access, helicopter pick-up and drop-off and a package trip.
Nicole Janoff, head of resort tourism at Magma Global, said that many customers only see matches as a stopover during a two- to three-week vacation. A couple can spend about $25,000 for a 5-night trip, while wealthy families usually spend $250,000-500,000 on the World Cup journey.
Instead of just moving between hotels and stadiums, they spend most of their time exploring famous destinations. Some rest in Napa Valley winery, relax in Cabo San Lucas or explore the Rocky Mountains with a private tour guide.
DeAntonis tells the story of a British couple spending 22 days traveling in the US. The World Cup match in Dallas only accounts for a very small part of the itinerary. The journey also includes private culinary tours, whale watching trips, visiting national parks, staying at farms and high-class resorts. Accommodation and tour guide experiences alone have reached about 130,000 USD, not including travel expenses.
According to travel experts, luxury customers are increasingly considering the World Cup as a lifestyle event rather than a football viewing trip. They are willing to pay in exchange for privacy, exclusivity and personalized experiences according to their preferences.
Spending money to buy exclusive experiences
The increase in the flow of super-rich tourists has caused many hotels and travel businesses to launch service packages worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of USD.
The Mark Hotel in New York introduces a $1 million experience package for six guests, including staying in the famous penthouse, VIP tickets to watch the final, a helicopter shuttle to MetLife Stadium and a private party after the match with views down Madison Avenue.
Meanwhile, The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami offers a resort package worth 187,000 USD with a presidential suite, private car pick-up and drop-off, yacht tours, spa, high-class cuisine and personal housekeepers. According to the Washington Post, some businesses also build experience packages for the World Cup final priced from 1-4 million USD, including private jets, luxury hotels, concierge, bodyguards and many other exclusive services.
Not only hotels, the private aviation industry is also witnessing a strong increase in demand. Paul Malicki, CEO of Flapper, predicts that the number of charter passengers will double in the quarter-finals and may increase 10 times when the final takes place.
According to Kolin Jones, CEO of Amalfi Jets, Los Angeles is the destination most chosen by charterers during the World Cup. The rental price starts from about 6,950 USD per flight hour, the average value of each contract is about 47,000 USD, while flights from Europe to North America have an average cost of about 165,000 USD.
To meet the personalized needs, many customers also requested to decorate the aircraft compartment according to the team's favorite colors, prepare champagne, souvenirs and a separate menu throughout the journey.
After landing, many people continue to use limousines with private drivers at a cost of about 9,000-12,000 USD per week or choose a helicopter to avoid congestion around the stadium. The Raffles Boston Hotel also introduces a service package worth 75,000 USD, including two World Cup tickets and a helicopter to take guests to Gillette Stadium.
The increasing appearance of expensive service packages shows that the World Cup is becoming a product of the super-luxury tourism industry. With the wealthy class, the value of the trip is not only in 90 minutes on the football field but also in the entire journey designed according to personal needs, from accommodation, transportation to experiences that not everyone can access.
