Preneur World March 2024

The Future of Luxury Holidays
CAROLINE BARBOUR
When it comes to the future of
luxury holidays, it’s clear that
travellers want fewer crowds and
lounging beach holidays, and more
focus on learning new things,
protecting the planet and being
near the ocean.
In a new study commissioned
by Sunsail to celebrate its 50th
anniversary, 28% of respondents
said they had experienced ‘rowdy’
tourists spoiling the peace whilst
on holiday, and 59% said that
over-tourism would put them off
visiting a certain country.
And overcrowding is not the only
thing on the minds of travellers.
40% said that what they wanted
from a holiday had changed
drastically, or a little bit, over the
past 5 years, and 1 in 4 said they
wanted to learn something new on
a holiday.
Adventure is what 35-44-year-olds
are looking for, with 32% ranking
it in their top three priorities,
alongside relaxation at 56% and
fun for the kids at 33%.
43% of respondents also said they
think about how close they are to
the sea/beaches when choosing
where to go on holiday, but this
doesn’t mean lounging on the
beach all day.
MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
It’s also clear from the study
that sustainability is at the
forefront of the traveller’s mind
as we look to the future. 68% of
respondents said it was very or
quite important that holidays be
made environmentally friendly,
and 37% thought that renewable
energy-powered airports were an
intriguing concept for future ecofriendly
travel.
34% also liked the idea of windpowered
cruise liners with hydrogenerators
(powered by water
instead of fuel to power the cruise
liner to move in water).
AI POWERED TRAVEL
With the very rapid development
of AI we’ve seen in recent years,
it’s no surprise that people think
this will also have a big impact
on luxury holidays of the future.
When it comes to where they
thought travel technology is
heading, the answers given were
everything from AI planners
(16%) and solar-powered or AIpowered
commercial planes (both
13%), to commercial space tour
flights (14%), superfast ships
(11%), and no air travel at all (5%).
39% would like to see instant
translation earbuds in the future
– that take in the audio from the
person speaking and translate
it back into your ear, and 23%
suggested solar-powered sailboats
with AI navigation would pique
their interest. Underwater luxury
yacht excursions were not far
behind this, at 14%.
The survey certainly suggests
that people are moving away
from the typical sun lounger
holiday and are looking for new
ideas for something a bit different
to explore the world, with a
good balance of relaxation and
adventure – they don’t just want
one or the other. This could be
getting off the beaten track to
avoid the crowds or finding hidden
gems and places not accessible by
land.
It’s also interesting to see how
sustainable energy and technology
that focuses on connecting us to
others, such as translation earbuds,
is a priority to travellers.
Advancements in technology, such
as ease of access to information
and booking options due to the
internet, and faster and more
comfortable modes of transport,
have changed the way we travel
exponentially in the past 50 years,
let’s see where the next 50 take us!
ABOUT THE EXPERT
Caroline Barbour is the UK
Marketing Manager for global
yacht charter company Sunsail
and its sister brand, The Moorings.
The brands operate a combined
global fleet of around 700 yachts
in 20+ destinations around the
world.
Find out more at sunsail.com/uk
60 PRENEUR WORLD www.preneur-world.com