The definition of luxury travel has changed and expanded beyond the bare requirements of plush suites, impeccable service, and five-star facilities. Today's luxury traveller wants not just indulgence but enrichment and a deeper sense of place.
A 2025 report published by Preferred Hotels & Resorts in collaboration with The Harris Poll points to the prevalence of this trend among travellers worldwide, suggesting that “luxury travellers are planning their trips for legacy moments that go on to define their year.” It also reveals that 70 per cent of global luxury travellers agree with the “beige-ification” of luxury hotels and are planning a conscious shift towards experiences that allow them to engage with a destination’s history and culture.
Whether it's following an artist’s gaze through the streets of a destination, climbing a lighthouse that has remained vigilant over its shores for centuries, or letting a cruise open up unexplored landscapes, a new generation of luxury travellers is prioritising access over opulence.
Together, art journeys, lighthouse trails, and river cruises may seem to belong to different worlds, but they share a promise. Each encourages travellers to slow down, look closer, and engage with the stories that a conventional itinerary is likely to overlook.
India, with its layered history, expansive coastline, waterways, and flourishing contemporary art scene, is particularly well-placed for this shift.
Journeys Shaped by Art
At a time when Indian luxury travellers are planning longer trips to understand a city’s history and culture, art has become a key entry point to that experience.
The Sā Ladakh Biennale is a testament to this: it transformed the Leh-Kargil corridor into an open-air art gallery, with exhibits chronicling Ladakhi culture, climate, stories, and collective memory. Visitors from across the country and the world flocked to 11,000 feet above sea level to witness this one-of-a-kind event.
Raki Nikahetiya, co-founder of the biennale, said, “It was refreshing to see people engage and interact not just with the installations but with the landscape and the people that shape it.”
According to Market Research Future's analysis, the global art tourism industry is projected to grow from USD 54.7 billion in 2025 to USD 91.0 billion by 2035, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.22 per cent during the forecast period.
The Sā Ladakh Biennale has transformed the Leh-Kargil corridor into an open-air art gallery
“When embarking on an art trip, make the journey as important as the destination. A biennale should never be experienced in a few hours, but by walking, returning to artworks, talking to people, exploring the landscape, and leaving room for unexpected encounters,” said Nikahetiya.
Collector and consultant Trisha Mohan agreed. “When you go to the Kochi Biennale, you’re not just visiting one gallery after another but walking through Fort Kochi, seeing the old architecture, the fishing nets, the streets and the layers of history,” she said.
Other art events and festivals that draw travellers include the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, the Contemporary Art Week and India Art Fair in Delhi, and Art Mumbai.
In an ecosystem where luxury travellers want to extend their travels beyond five-star properties, tourist spots, monuments, and restaurants, art festivals and biennales bring them closer to a city’s history, architecture, people, and contemporary identity.
Chasing Beacons
Another significant yet lesser-explored way to learn about a destination’s history is through its lighthouses. These stone towers, set in achingly beautiful places along golden beaches or on hills above the restless sea, offer more than scenic views. For centuries, they have guided seafarers and fishermen with light, direction, and safety. Today, they stand as a testament to the country’s rich maritime heritage.
According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, India is home to over 204 lighthouses along an 11,000 km coastline. To preserve their architectural and historical significance, the ministry has transformed 75 of these lighthouses into tourist hubs by developing facilities and amenities in and around them.
But what makes these structures worth visiting? Dr Ayyappan Nair, a molecular biologist and author of “The Roads Along the Sea: The Malabar and Coromandel Coast,” who has cycled to and photographed over 125 lighthouses along the Indian coastline, said, “It was history that drew me into lighthouses. Along my journey from one to the next, I encountered historical sites that I never knew about.”
“You can also pair a visit to a lighthouse with other experiences. If you go to the Aguada lighthouse in Goa, explore the fort that houses it, and if in Betul, the lighthouse is perched on a hillock and demands a short trek that you should definitely undertake,” added Nair.
Destinations from the Deck
Cruises across India’s rivers are another rapidly expanding segment that the country’s luxury travellers are beginning to opt for. Unlike conventional tourism, where visitors move quickly between monuments, a river cruise presents the city’s history, culture, and landscape as a continuous visual narrative.
‘The real value of embarking on a cruise lies not in the vessel but in the experiences and access it offers,” said Vineet Arora, Chief Operating Officer at Antara River Cruises.
Whether it is witnessing sunrise or aarti rituals at the ghats, visiting temples, or interacting with local communities, the success story of a river cruise lies in combining local experiences with luxurious amenities.
India’s river cruise sector is growing slowly but steadily. Over the past decade, operations expanded from only five vessels on three waterways (in 2013–14) to around 25 vessels across 13 national waterways (by 2024–25). Through the Cruise Bharat Mission, the government aims to develop 51 new river cruise circuits across 14 states.
For wildlife and adventure enthusiasts, Antara’s Creeks and Crocodiles cruise is one of the most experience-driven river cruises in India. It offers a two-day voyage through the untamed beauty of Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park. The journey takes you deep into India’s second-largest mangrove ecosystem. It leads to Dangamal, where you can spot estuarine crocodiles, spotted deer, monitor lizards, wild boar, Indian pythons, Rhesus Macaques, and a variety of birds.
The four-day Kochi-Agatti-Mumbai voyage organised by Cordelia Cruises is another way of exploring the coral atolls of Lakshwadeep. Along with a rare chance to experience India’s remotest archipelago, the cruise allows travellers to disembark for scuba diving, kayaking, and snorkelling, exploring villages, and sampling local cuisine.
At a time when the Indian traveller is rewriting the idea of luxury, the country’s travel industry is giving them enough chances to look beyond the familiar and connect with the stories, people, landscapes, and histories that define a place. Whether through art, lighthouses, or river cruises, these journeys leave travellers with something no five-star suite can offer: a changed perspective, a richer understanding of the world, and stories worth carrying home.
Where To Book
Lighthouse Tours: The Government of India's E-Ticketing Portal offers visitor timings and online ticket booking for lighthouse visits. lighthouse.nic.in
Antara Cruises: Antara Cruises offers luxury river journeys across India, combining all-suite stays with curated cultural, heritage, and wildlife experiences. antaracruises.com
Cordelia Cruises: Offers Indian travellers luxury cruises, connecting destinations such as Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, and scenic Lakshadweep islands. cordeliacruises.com
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