Photo by Matthew Hranek/Art+Commerce
You don’t have to be Margaret Mead to realize that industries tend to attract people with similar personality traits—and it doesn’t take a big leap of logic to understand why they end up in the same vacation destinations. Portfolio.com talked to the experts to find out where you’re most likely to see the influential executives this year. –Claire Atkinson
Hedge Fund Honchos: Zambia
Photo by Photograph by Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images
Tee Faircloth, owner of F.M. Allen, a New York-based luxury-safari outfitter, has been sending hedge fund managers who shorted the market to South Luangwa National Park, where wildebeest, leopards, lions, and hyenas roam. Spending opportunities are few, but you might learn a little more about market dynamics. “They tend to be younger, since it’s a walking safari,” Faircloth says.
New Tech Money: Antarctica
Photo by Photo by Maria Stenzel/National Geographic
A great place to cool one’s heels after an investor road show? Young Silicon Valley billionaires are packing their Leica digital cameras to snap glaciers and penguins. Patagonia, which straddles the Andes mountain range in Argentina, is also hot right now with the tech set. According to Googleplex insiders, both destinations are favored by the guys in the C-suite.
Old Tech Money: Namibia
Photo by Photo by Chris Johns/National Geographic
Three Microsoft founders rented out Serra Cafema, in Namibia, described as the world’s most remote camp, just six months ago. The place, also a favorite with former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold, is an ideal location from which to watch the sunset over the Cunene River and plan a Yahoo takeover.
Fashionistas: Turks and Caicos
Photo by Photograph by Matthew Hranek/Art+Commerce
Brad Wilson, executive vice president at lodging firm Denihan Hospitality Group, says his fashion friends are still choosing Turks and Caicos, long a favorite with designer Donna Karan and home to the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards. The film festivals, facials, and high celebrity quotient are all draws.
Hollywood: Mediterranean and Nepal
Photo by Photo by Michael Lewis/National Geographic (Nepal)
The writers are back; now the actors are threatening revolt; thankfully it’s time to pack up for Cannes. “Hollywood still tends to be the Côte d’Azur,” says Camper & Nicholsons’ Jeffrey Beneville. Opportunities to see and be seen abound. Top execs are also doing tiger safaris in Nepal and India, says Anastasia Mann, C.E.O. of Corniche Travel Group, which handles travel for the likes of David Lynch and Helen Mirren.
The Art World: Europe
Photo by Photograph by Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP/Getty Images
Classic European destinations are coming back in a big way, Mann says. Resort areas in Italy, the South of France, and Spain are hot, and Barcelona has become very popular, with Gaudí playing a big part in drawing the arts crowd. “The independent art dealers tend to go to more remote but less explored places—typically Greece, particularly the Cyclades islands,” says Camper’s Beneville. “The light is extraordinary.”
Media Mavens: China and Dubai
Photo by Photograph by Abih Moghrabi/AFP/Getty Images
It’s not about now, but instead what will be hot tomorrow. To see it, media execs are hitting Shanghai and Dubai, says Michael Clinton, Hearst publishing director and chief marketing officer. “What you see is the future in so many ways,” says Clinton, who is also a photographer and has visited more than 100 countries. A favorite people-watching spot is the private-residence area bar at Dubai’s One and Only.
Hoteliers: Costa Rica
Photo by Photograph by Sylvester Adams
Hospitality executives have all experienced travel that’s as deluxe as it gets. “Our friends run it,” says Wilson. They are tending towards more exotic locales. “Costa Rica is big,” he says. “Hotel people want something culturally challenging, not just another resort.”
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