ELITE TRAVEL TRENDS Hotel & TourismSMARTreport#39 2018 Summer Edition 19 EXPERIENCE… WITH A CAPITAL “E” UK-based marketing agents Underscore recently explored how “luxury” is being defined, and nowhere is this more evident than within the luxury travel industry. Not surprisingly, the survey revealed that the biggest megatrend is that of seeking “off the beaten track” destinations. Luxury travellers desire to experience the true culture of an area by engaging with locals and wandering neighbourhoods… to discover their own version… and travel brands are thus enticing luxury travellers by enabling them to co-design their experiences. Health-conscious travel has never been so popular with 31% of people increasing their travel budgets because they increasingly recognise its importance for their health and well-being (TripAdvisor study). Finally, the trend of “sustainable luxury” or “guilt-free luxury” was once an oxymoron but the luxury travel industry has embraced the need for change and innovated to the point that a lot of operators now believe that the more sustainable they are, the more luxurious they are. In the following pages, we look at how these trends are affecting romance travel, along with the growing demand for private island getaways. The Royal Sands Koh Rong, Cambodia
