The Future of Luxury Travel (GB)
Luxury travellers today are very clear about their preferences. No longer drawn by ostentatious services, they have moved towards a quieter, understated luxury, and plan their trips with a focus on authenticity and experiential travel.
The culinary experience is high on their list of special-interest themes, along with art and culture, off-the-beaten-track destinations, spectacular scenery and nature reserves. Destinations that actively conserve the environment and protect endangered animal species attract attention with this group.
Planning is all-important. Like all travellers, luxury travellers are using the Internet more now for booking as well as for research, and are active participants on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Nevertheless, they value the expertise of seasoned travel agents and will invest in building an enduring relationship with the right consultant. It is especially with the luxury sector that travel agents have an expanding opportunity to build a lasting and valuable clientele.
Price and value each play a key role in luxury travel. While a high price point may signify exclusivity, a desirable factor in a luxury trip, the importance of value for money now cuts across all strata of travellers. Luxury consumers may spend lavishly, but they also like to know they’re spending wisely and securing top quality that justifies the price.
Intuitive personalised service is of paramount importance to the luxury traveller, whose expectations can be a challenge to meet. Providers are also kept on their toes by the ever-growing appetite for a fresh, new,extraordinary travel experience that will guarantee lifelong memories.
On the supplier side, new and emerging destinations are injecting diversity into the luxury travel product, thereby building a wider appeal for luxury travellers. The most popular areas for inbound travel remain Western Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Formerly remote destinations, like Ethiopia and Patagonia, are becoming magnets for wealthy adventurers, who continue to travel progressively further afi eld in search of the ultimate experience.
Outbound travel is growing rapidly in the BRIC countries, and China’s fl ourishing economy is boosting departure stats dramatically, with a projection of 100 million Chinese tourists on the road by 2020.
While buyers are adventurous with investment in new and emerging destinations—opening the door for fresh, authentic travel experiences for their clients—suppliers tend to play safe with a focus on more mature, resilient markets. Interaction between the two groups is often less than fl uid, and our survey fi ndings indicate the potential danger of a widening gap. There is a shared conviction, however, that building up a destination is a long-term process requiring heavy investment and support in terms of promotion and development.
Working in close liaison, supplier, buyer and client can become a powerful team with unprecedented resources to plan and realise extraordinary luxury travel experiences. As we move forward now through a post-crisis era, the value of partnership is clearly greater than ever before.
I hope you liked the article, I enjoyed writing the blog ¡¡¡
Susana.
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