Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #45

ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS
Hotel & Tourism
SMARTreport #45
2020 Winter Edition 11
11
© Michal Klajban
WHERE, WHY, AND HOW
“ELITE” TRAVELLERS
WILL VOYAGE IN
THE COMING YEAR
With travel as the means but not an end
in itself, individuals in higher-income
categories no longer always feel the need
to upgrade into luxury as income and
wealth rises. Instead, travel categories
are converging, and travel brands find
themselves at the centre of a vast new,
eco-system.
So, how do we respond? What do we
need to know to navigate through this
transformation, and what will “luxury”
look like in the future? Virtuoso’s annual
global travel forecast has travellers hitting
honky-tonks in America’s Music City,
Nashville, seeing the Summer Games in
style in Tokyo, hiking in New Zealand and
getting wild in Africa’s emerging safari
spot. Traveling sustainably is increasingly
important, as is seeking antidotes to
overtourism, and getting a healthy dose
of urban renewal (think digital detox and
sleep coaching during your next city stay).
The trend is increasingly towards
“different” ideas – even within “classic”
tourism destinations. Nowhere was this
more evident than at the recent ILTM trade
show in Cannes. In the following pages,
you will find some highlights from the
show.