As restrictions, vaccine rollouts and lockdowns continue to evolve, short haul remains the focus for Europeans; the US is driving a lift in inter-state journeys; and Australia’s luxury market is buoyed by local spending. Here’s what else we learned…
INNOVATE TO IMMERSE Where once luxury travel was a moment for pause and privacy, clients now want to get immersive in the way they experience brands and cultures. The travel and hospitality industry needs to be creative in delivering experiences that speak to this new mindset. Think about craftsmanship, authenticity and experience-led storytelling when welcoming clients onboard your aircraft, vessel or car, as well as the moment they set foot in hotel lobbies, suites, wellness facilities and restaurants.
DESTINATION DIGITAL ‘Luxurions’ – wealthy digital nomads – will be travelling to fully integrate work with pleasure. This isn’t about ‘working holidays’ but about understanding that affluent consumers have the luxury of mixing downtime, family time and work time from multiple bases. They want to land somewhere for longer, and The Bahamas is one destination offering a two-year live-work visa programme for this new kind of resident voyager. Will more digitally progressive countries follow suit?
THE MORE THE MERRIER Under an ethos of ‘fly less, stay longer’, increased bookings for private yachts, private jets and private islands show an appetite for splendid isolation – with select others. Clients wanting to reconnect with family reflect an increase in hotel buyouts by large groups. And it’s not just family – many are taking beauticians, therapists and masseurs with them. The focus on health and wellbeing during the pandemic has led to more luxury travellers wanting physical activities at their destinations, including teaming up with local athletes.
CONSUMERS WITH CONSCIENCE As the ‘resource generation’, millennials might be accruing or inheriting wealth or launching businesses. But they don’t see money as something to hold on to – they want to use it for social good. How can brands integrate that sense of personal philanthropy into travel experiences? One example is the hotel chain whose black founders place an emphasis on the black experience, creating a travel safe space for people who may have felt unwelcome in certain luxury destinations because they were the only black person in the room.
THE QUEST FOR NEW FRONTIERS After 18 months of lockdowns, consumers who haven’t been able to travel and experience the world quite as viscerally as they wanted will be queueing up for unique, extreme and far-reaching adventures. As has been the case with Virgin Galactic and Rocket Breaks, a travel agency dedicated to space tourism. Back on Earth, luxury destinations of the future might not just be Italy, London or New York but Latin America, Sao Paolo, Rio, Ghana or Melbourne.
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