Tales from Australia
The team and I had a good catch-up with Tourism Australia recently – it was fascinating to hear what they were focusing on for 2023. Among the trends, “authentic experiences” kept on coming up.
Our new Aussie partner, The Tailor, agrees. But more specifically, founder Drew Kluska says, “Wilderness is the new luxury.” He explained that an increasing number of high-end travellers are looking to get lost. But lost in a very specific way.
“Finally, the market is catching up with us!” says Drew. “People are moving away from thread counts and butlers. They want incredible experiences with guides connected to the land. That sort of thing hasn’t really happened in Australia before. People are now really asking for what we do at The Tailor.”
And that’s the crux of it: personalised, authentic adventures in the wild that end with a “soft landing”. Not just luxury lodges in remote locations, but handcrafted itineraries full of experiences that challenge your clients in just the right way – and blast open their world view.
Having explored Australia on a trip organised by The Tailor, I know first-hand what they can do. I think what I find most compelling about Drew and his team is their ability to surprise. How do they do it? It’s all in their connections. Honestly, I’ve never seen a black book like it.
We’re talking world-class experts, family-connection fixers and a roll-call of the absolute best guides. As Drew puts it, “People are seeking out people-to-people connections with locals.” Gone are the days of stop-for-a-photo tours: it has to be participatory and deeply immersive.
“We connect our clients with the likes of Ross Miller from Aroona Luxury Charters: he’s the guy David Attenborough goes with when he visits the Great Barrier Reef,” says Drew. “Then there’s James Castrission, the first person to ever kayak from Australia to New Zealand – he also walked to the South Pole and back!”
Ross does small-boat barrier reef tours that climax with spear-fishing for coral trout, while James leads exhilarating adventures in the Blue Mountains. People get their minds blown and the feedback is effusive. “You’d be amazed how often people tell us it was the best day they’ve ever had,” says Drew.
Incredible experiences led by charismatic guides with a talent for storytelling. This is how lasting emotional connections are made with the land and its people. And that’s why we heeded the advice of Amanda Fisher – our former operator Down Under and a long-term partner of The Tailor – in bringing Drew’s crew on board.
You’ll be unsurprised to hear that Drew himself is a country boy: raised on a farm in rural South Australia, he then began his career in Kenya, managing Wilderness Trails Lodge at the Lewa Downs Wildlife Conservancy. “Why on earth is no one offering this in Australia?” he wondered. In 1997, aged 26, he returned home and created The Tailor.
It is now the number one luxury DMC in Australia and has received plaudits from National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler and Pure Life Experiences. This year Drew has once again been named one of Travel + Leisure’s A-list Travel Advisors. It’s an exciting time to visit Australia right now and The Tailor’s who to do it with.