Kelly de Graaf sat down with Karryon Luxury in her first interview following her appointment in the newly created role of Luxury Travel Collection Head of Luxury, New Zealand.
Excitement is how de Graaf describes her first thought on being appointed New Zealand’s first Head of Luxury for LTC.
“I was excited and confident that I have the right support around me to do the job well. It’s a great opportunity.”
She says the sentiment is felt among the New Zealand luxury travel advisory industry, too.
“There’s been a lot of interest and excitement given we’re the first luxury travel consortia to have someone locally on the ground in New Zealand, to support New Zealand.”
Not only does LTC now have someone on the ground in Aotearoa, but de Graaf is a local who was born and raised in Rotorua in the central North Island.
She also has extensive international experience after living and working abroad for many years, including 10 years with Flight Centre in northern NSW and the Gold Coast, before she moved back to Wellington in 2018.
Now with her three children aged 11, nine and 2.5 years, she’s never been happier to be back home.
“I love being back. The kids are settled, FCTG has welcomed me with open arms, and I’ve had some incredible opportunities.
‘I’ve always been passionate about luxury, and so I’m excited to have a laser focus on luxury now and support of luxury leaders across different brands to work with, so it’s a first for New Zealand and provides some exciting opportunities.”
That laser focus means honing in on the luxury travel advisors who can become members, with initial focus on New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland.
‘There are plenty of people across New Zealand selling to the mass market, but that’s not what we’re looking for. We are about considered growth and making sure we grow our footprint across the country.”
Understanding the Kiwi luxury traveller
“Every market is different and understanding the Kiwi market, because I am a New Zealander, definitely helps.”
She says while not too dissimilar to the Australian luxury traveller, New Zealanders have nuances.
“The luxury traveller here is first and foremost looking for ease of travel. They want advisors to make suggestions and make it easy for them. They also want value for money. While they are happy to spend on luxury, they want to feel that there has been value in doing that, and they need authenticity and a localised experience when they are on the ground.
“It comes down to having a lot of choice, Kiwi luxury travellers like to have options and that’s something they’ll get through the suppliers we’re suggesting.”
She says sustainability in travel is also important, and she hopes that continues to be a key focus.
“I hope what we’re doing is considered, looking after the environment and giving back, and I think in the future there will be much more awareness about the luxury product that’s available that does that.
“Small group travel will also continue to grow as people want more personalisation and travel tailored specifically to them.”
So what does success look like for de Graaf in this newly created role?
“For Travel Associates, success is growing our footprint and having a robust collection of stores that are all like-minded and delivering great results for the group.
“For LTC, it would be to stick to our values and guiding principles of making sure the right people are joining and becoming members and staying true to create a collaborative community.”
LTC currently has seven Travel Associate stores across New Zealand, with another set to open in Mosgiel, near Dunedin in the South Island.
Luxury Travel Collection will officially launch in New Zealand on 1 May 2026.
For more information, visit LTC.
