Luxury travel is one of the most lucrative segments for travel operators and hotels, but success depends on offering highly personalized experiences. Our boutique luxury lifestyle PR agency monitors the emerging trends worldwide to best position our travel and hospitality clients for success.
Here are some highlights and tips to best position you for success:
- What is the most significant luxury travel trend of 2017?
The growing affluent market is looking to expand their horizons. Experiential and authentic travel are the buzzwords that tickle their fancy. Not just going to the same hotel or destination, they are looking for new destinations. Even in the private jet sector, people aren’t repeating the same routes. Customers are actively seeking out new and different places all the time and a top public relations agency can get you exposure to appeal to their new instincts.
- Which destinations should the travel operators and hotel managers monitor keep up with the luxury market?
Traditionally, it’s those following The Rough Guide that pioneered destinations, and luxury followed. That continues to be the case with many destinations such as Costa Rica, but there are new places where luxury is coming in first and fast like Nicaragua. The same applies to Vietnam and Bali. Each has a number of world-class resorts that have opened up recently. Nicaragua recently opened a new private jet airport catering to this segment of the market. It’s like Costa Rica was several years ago.
- What is changing in the family travel?
Adventures – luxury style tops almost every family’s bucket list nowadays. They are heli-skiing in Iceland and paddle boarding in Galapagos. Of course, jungle ruins are still a draw as they imagine a life thousands of years ago. Bragging rights for the parents and their offspring about where they have been and what they’ve done is part of the scene.
- What is the biggest myth about luxury travel consumers?
Price still drives decision making for he luxury traveler – everyone likes a good deal. Type-A personalities and entrepreneurs avoid anything that smacks of price gauging, they just don’t want to be taken advantage of. Offer high value – that is what the traveling public is seeking today.
- How can travel operators looking to break into this segment attract these travelers?
It is all about customizing and personalizing the client’s experience. You have to reassure customers with confidence that what you have planned for them has never been done before – or few, anyhow. And if you tell them to be on the dock for a dive at 8 a.m., they will be there, so you better be ready.
You should know from experience why it is better for someone to stay at the Four Seasons or a smaller boutique hotel down the road. Or maybe they skip the Louvre and head over to the captivating Rodin Museum instead. Travel agents need to have a broad range and depth of knowledge to fulfill all these needs.
So to please this discerning customer, get out not just the hotels, but also the experiences so you can speak to them knowledgably about what they will be doing and what to expect. You have to be able to insure your customers will be able to do things in a way that’s different from everyone else.
Our NYC PR agency can help you.