New tour operator ‘actively seeking’ to build relationships with trade

A new luxury tour operator led by the former chief executive of Cookson Adventures has launched to consumers with intentions to soon sell through the trade.

The Luminaire aims to appeal to a new generation of high-end travellers and will create bespoke experiences focused on culture, art and nature.

The company was founded by Adam Sebba, who was chief executive of luxury tour operator Cookson Adventures for over two years, alongside co-founders Nicholas Priest, who has held senior leadership roles at Aman, One&Only Resorts and NetJets Europe, and corporate adviser and investment strategist Ed Hicks.

The wider team of experts, which Sebba hopes to grow to 20 by the end of the year, includes explorers, naturalists, adventurers, historians and archaeologists.

The operator said work with travel agents and other travel partners is “underway”, with the team “actively seeking” to build relationships with top travel agents. The company said it would take an “innovative approach” to partnering with travel brands as it expands its service offering.

The company’s aim is to build a carbon-neutral supply chain business that adopts a future-proof, digital-first approach, such as incorporating AI to understand and serve customer preferences more efficiently.

In April 2022, The Luminaire will offer guests the opportunity to experience Venice during the Art Biennale in the company of acclaimed architect and author Francesco da Mosto. Later on in the year, Sir Ranulph Fiennes will join a private journey to Antarctica exclusively with The Luminaire.

Closer to home, the operator will organise photography workshops over four days in Somerset with access to photojournalist Sir Don McCullin CBE.

The Luminaire also said it expects to announce its first hotel trial in the near future as part of an ambitious growth strategy to provide “imaginative, authentic and accessible experiences to deeply curious hotel guests around the world”.

Sebba said: “We are reinventing educational travel. There is no brand currently in existence that deliversctruly substantive but accessible and stimulating travel experiences, which appeals across the generations. This is what The Luminaire stands for.

“The last two years have reminded us all that learning is priceless and knowledge is timeless. The trend I am seeing is a move beyond experiences, which are naturally ephemeral and transient, to a consumption of meaningful knowledge and learning.”

The Luminaire is backed by the founders of a US-based investment group, who have held senior positions at Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo and other leading consumer brands and helped lead successful early-stage investments in companies such as Trip.com.

Image: (from left to right) Nicholas Priest, chief marketing officer; Adam Sebba, chief executive; and Ed Hicks, chief operating officer.