Tasmania ranks third in global listings of island playgrounds for the ultra-rich

Tasmania ranks third in global listings of island playgrounds for the ultra-rich
Jennifer DukeOctober 23, 2014

Tasmania has been ranked third on a global listing of leisure islands, or 'getaway' location where ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) purchase second, third or fourth homes.

The new Candy GPS Report with research by Savills explains that most leisure island real estate is at the heart of the additional home market for UHNWIs and that these purchases are “nearly always discretionary” and a result of economic conditions providing excess cash.

This does leave those markets more exposed to economic downturns, the report notes.

The research came from Savills World Research and Wealth X, based on the volume of UHNWI additional home ownership. 

Ranking first and second are the USA’s Hawaiian Islands and Martha’s Vineyard respectively. Australia took out two spots in the top 10, with Tasmania ranking third and the Whitsunday Islands are sixth. Also featuring in the top five were Spain’s Balearics and Greece’s Ionian Islands. The rest of the top 10 was made up by Italy’s Sardinia, Scotland’s Islay, Malaysia’s Pangkor and Thailand’s Koh Samui.

“Leisure islands can be "visible" or "invisible", depending on the nature of amenities and pursuits involved,” the report explains. The USA’s top two rankings are “visible” leisure islands.

The top 10:

  1. Hawaiian Islands - USA
  2. Martha’s Vineyard - USA
  3. Tasmania - Australia
  4. Balearic Islands - Spain
  5. Ionian Islands - Greece
  6. Whitsunday Islands - Australia
  7. Sardinia - Italy
  8. Islay - Scotland
  9. Pangkor - Malaysia
  10. Koh Samui - Thailand

Jennifer Duke

Jennifer Duke was a property writer at Property Observer

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