In Part 1 of this wellness and travel report, I look at the new holistic and scientific spaces that have opened up in London.
01.05.2024 - 13:49 / travelweekly.com
Travel advisors report that the luxury travel market is booming. Among the top travel trends for these high-end clients are those that focus on spending time with loved ones, including Family travel (immediate family), Celebration travel, and Multigenerational travel, according to the 2024 Virtuoso Luxe Report. Active/adventure trips are also among the top trends reported in the study. In addition, travel advisors are booking more off-season trips and are seeing requests for cultural immersion. The desire for personalized amenities and services is also important to upscale travelers, say advisors.
“The strong demand [for luxury travel] we saw in 2023 continues unabated,” says Ignacio Maza, senior advisor of Signature Travel Network. “It’s even stronger than last year. People absolutely want to travel and travel well. For the affluent, travel is their No. 1 priority right now.”
Maza adds that he is seeing more off-season travel requests. “My new mantra: off season is the new peak season,” he says.
The reason for off-season travel’s popularity is what Maza defines as a really tough last summer, including heat waves that took place in Europe. “People are looking for a more pleasant experience,” says Maza. “Winter in many parts of Europe is wonderful. Rome in January and February is delightful with temperatures in the 50s and low 60s during the day. Prices are lower. Everything is less crowded—museums, restaurants and shops. It feels more authentic. You can get great value in hotels and airfare.”
Anne-Laure Tuncer, director USA of Atout France, The France Tourism Development Agency, says “we are seeing off-peak luxury bookings for the autumn, late spring and early summer.” She adds that they are still working on attracting American visitors for the winter months and early spring. “There is a lot to be done to show that the cost of ski resorts and experiences in France are significantly more affordable than they are in the USA, from luxury hotels to ski passes, including the multi-resort ones,” she says. “All this is still true even after factoring in the roundtrip flight.”
These efforts are making a difference, adds Tuncer. U.S. travelers were for the very first time the fourth top market after the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Netherlands in terms of international receipts in January 2024.
Melissa Krueger, CEO of Classic Vacations, says European travel has become year-round over the last two years, especially with experienced travelers. “Repeat visitors to the same country have become increasingly savvy and are quick to learn that they can experience a destination more authentically during what we have always considered shoulder season,” she says. “Fewer tourists mean you will get a greater sense of
In Part 1 of this wellness and travel report, I look at the new holistic and scientific spaces that have opened up in London.
If you are fortunate enough to own a second home in the $1 million to $50 million range, ThirdHome has a deal for you. You can list your home with them, and in return get access to stays at 17,000 similar homes, boats and private islands around the world.
Women are the key ingredient for the travel market, not only in the planning and preparation process for families but for actual travel itself. According to estimates, 64% of travelers worldwide are female, and women spent $125 billion on travel in 2023. As such, the hospitality industry actively targets the female market, often by offering special “girl getaways” packages for weekend excursions and longer. The following girl getaways are designed with luxury in mind.
Perhaps no destination on Earth packs as much punch into its relatively small surface area as Menorca. The second largest of the Balearic Islands, at one-fifth the size of Mallorca–its high-profile neighbor to the southwest in the Mediterranean Sea–the isle’s mere 270 square miles belies its almost innumerable gifts, which span the natural to the cultural, and virtually everything in between.
Chase cardholders can book Southwest Airlines flights through the Chase Travel portal, and that’s a rarity for leisure travelers.
With things looking up for tourism in The Bahamas, representatives of the country’s Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (BMOTIA) are set to build on their success at the 42nd edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace. Hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and scheduled for 20 - 23 May 2024 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Jamaica, the Caribbean’s largest tourism marketing event will offer opportunity for The Bahamas to shine as buyers and sellers of tourism products and services from countries across the region convening for business. In 2023, The Bahamas saw record-breaking tourism growth accounting for 9.6 million visitors, up 38% from 2022. While foreign air arrivals rose 17% to record 1.7 million in 2023, cruise arrivals surged 43.5% to record 7.9 million. The country’s 16 islands all enjoyed significant increases, with visits to New Providence, for instance, up 36% in 2023, to Grand Bahama up 44%, and the Out Islands up 40%.
WHY IT RATES: The partnership is an industry-first for a host agency and travel supplier to award ASTA scholarships. — Lacey Pfalz, Associate Writer, TravelPulse
Happy Saturday! If you're heading out this weekend, here are 11 things a bartender wishes people would stop doing — including asking them to play your favorite song.
Traveling in Greece is always an adventure — even for a local like me.
Aspire, Swissport’s global airport lounge business, has unveiled a new three-tier service product across the expanded lounge space at Newcastle Airport, offering travelers an unrivalled choice in luxury and comfort ahead of their journeys.
Goway announced on Monday that the company is expanding its luxury tour itineraries to include several of the most popular National Parks in the United States.
American tourists are flocking to Tenerife in record numbers. 5.6 million tourists visited the Spanish island in 2023, and more than 26,000 came from the United States between January and September of 2023.