Luxury travel trends

There were no major surprises when Virtuoso LuxeReport released its yearly study, but there were some trends those in the travel business might find useful. Said Keith Waldon, director of branding and public relations for Virtuoso: “I wouldn’t say it’s a major surprise, but there were some developments those in the travel industry might need to take note of – such as the continued push towards individual travel and people not wanting to be part of a group.” When asked what travel practice was declining the most in popularity among older affluent travelers, aged 53 or more, escorted/group tours had the highest number – 14%. For travelers aged 34 to 42, the practice most in declining popularity was also escorted/group tours – 19%. The Virtuoso Luxe Report is an annual poll of more than 6,000 travel specialists that identifies luxury travel trends. The report said the hottest travel trend for younger affluent travelers was active/adventure trips; for older affluent travelers, the hottest trend was luxury cruises, cited by 44%. When asked what percentage of new customers started working with agents in the past five years because of dissatisfaction with online booking, the answer was 23%. When asked about what kind of a 2004 they expected for luxury travel, 64% of respondents said “the best year in several years.” Report by David Wilkening