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For Immediate Release
Luxury Travel Trends According to the Experts: The Year to Date
Artisans of Leisure releases its Luxury Travel Trends List summarizing trends so far this year
New York, May 9, 2024 – Leading luxury tour operator Artisans of Leisure has compiled its latest Luxury Travel Trends List based on the company’s intimate knowledge of the luxury travel market.
“Luxury travelers continue to prioritize international travel and one-of-a-kind trips filled with meaningful experiences,” said Ashley Ganz, founder and CEO of Artisans of Leisure. “Travel remains one of their biggest interests in 2024, with demand incredibly strong for private tours in the world’s most fascinating destinations.”
Artisans of Leisure arranges private, customized international tours for high-net-worth travelers. Their unique position in the travel industry—catering exclusively to affluent travelers—allows them unrivaled firsthand insight into luxury travel in the world today.
The Artisans of Leisure Luxury Travel Trends List:
- Luxury is still leading the way. High-end travelers continue to splurge on travel. They want to do it right—with exclusive, over-the-top tours that include ultra-luxury services.
- Broad-based demand for many top destinations. Travelers are booking private tours in dozens of the most popular destinations, especially across Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.
- The Taylor Swift effect is real. Travelers are booking trips around the pop star’s concerts and when and where they can get tickets.
- Solo travel. Trips taken by solo travelers are more popular than ever. Artisans of Leisure is also finding that married individuals are taking solo trips for quality “me time” away from their partners and families.
- Private services. Always. Affluent travelers want private services during their trips. They want tours filled with private insider experiences, exclusive access, private tours, private drivers and more. Many also want to incorporate travel by private yacht charter and private jet.
- Hyper-specialized, themed travel. Learning and self-cultivation continue to play major roles in influencing trips. Special interest tours, including culinary tours, music tours, garden tours, history tours, hiking tours, biking tours and art tours, are especially popular. Travelers want to be immersed in each location. They want unique and authentic hands-on experiences and activities based on their interests.
- Traveling to see major art exhibitions, such as Mark Rothko at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, John Singer Sargent at the Tate Britain in London, Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and the Venice Biennale.
- Visiting multiple countries on each trip. Luxury travelers continue to take extensive multicountry trips throughout the year.
- Multiple trips being planned simultaneously. Many travelers are booking multiple tours with Artisans of Leisure at the same time, often planning two or three years in advance. Many are also planning last-minute trips.
- Planning around major events and festivals, such as the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland, Formula 1 races, tshechus (religious festivals) in Bhutan, Holi in India, Day of the Dead in Mexico and the Al Dhafra Festival in Abu Dhabi
- Ancestry and family history tours. Travelers researching their family history continue to be inspired to plan trips. Popular destinations for family history tours include Sicily, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, England, France, Vietnam, China, Taiwan and Portugal.
- Travelers are keeping active. They are asking for e-biking, golfing, walking tours, hiking and other active pursuits on their trips.
- Traveling with friends. Travelers continue to request fun, customized tours with their friends and usually want to include shared interest activities, such as golfing, shopping, design-focused touring, wellness experiences, meeting with experts, hiking and cooking.
- Picture-perfect experiences that can be shared on social media. Photography is important for sharing travel highlights on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.
- Requests for off-the-beaten-track destinations. For example, Yakushima in Japan, Malta, Bhutan, remote parts of Australia, Uzbekistan, remote parts of China, lesser-known areas in Scandinavia, and less-visited islands and the Peloponnese in Greece
- City-focused trips are very popular. Top destinations include Rome, London, Paris, Lisbon, Salzburg, Seville, Istanbul and Budapest.
- Following passions. Travelers are choosing destinations based on where they can indulge their interests, such as their love of art, music, cuisine, wildlife-spotting and spas.
- Luxury trains and small-ship luxury cruises. Many travelers are incorporating trips on luxury trains, such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, the Royal Scotsman and the Andean Explorer, and small-ships, such as the Aqua Mekong, the Aqua Nera and others, into longer tours.
- TV and movies continue to inspire. Travelers continue to want to incorporate destinations featured in productions such as The White Lotus, Emily in Paris, Outlander, Anyone But You, Perfect Days and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I.
- Culinary experiences. Travelers want activities that immerse them in local food and drink traditions, such as a foodie walking tour of Shanghai, visiting a natural winery in Georgia, taking a soba-making lesson in Japan, learning to make gelato in Rome, visiting tea plantations in South Korea, and having reservations at the best restaurants in London, Lima and Paris.
- History. Travelers continue to have a keen interest in history and want to tour the remains of ancient civilizations such as the Pyramids and Machu Picchu, explore the historical centers of famous cities like Rome and Istanbul, and visit World War II sites such as the D-Day Landing Beaches.
- No more peak season. Travelers travel when they want to and when they are free, regardless of crowds, weather, prices and other considerations.
- Experiencing pop culture and sports. Many travelers want to participate in activities popular with locals, such as exploring K-pop locations in South Korea, shopping at anime stores in Japan and attending soccer games in Spain.
- Seasonal inspiration, including tours focused on spring flowers (e.g., the Chelsea Flower Show in London, Keukenhof in the Netherlands, cherry blossoms and hydrangeas in Japan), summer festivals, fall foliage and winter holiday markets
- Seeing spectacular natural sites and phenomena, such as the Northern Lights in Lapland, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Uluru in Australia, Milford Sound in New Zealand, Iguazu Falls in Argentina, Torres del Paine in Chile, and volcanoes and glaciers in Iceland
- Wildlife experiences, such as seeing gorillas in Rwanda, snow monkeys in Japan, the Great Migration in Tanzania and Kenya, Bengal tigers in India, giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands, whales in Iceland and koalas in Australia
- Bucket-list trips. Tours that include iconic destinations and experiences, such as luxury safaris in Africa, seeing the highlights of Australia, taking a Nile River or Galapagos Islands cruise and touring Machu Picchu in Peru, are in huge demand. Many travelers have lifelong dreams of visiting certain bucket-list destinations, and they feel that now is the time to take these trips.
- Spoiling the grandchildren. Families want to spend time together and create memories in amazing destinations. Multi-generational private tours are in demand right now, especially highly customized, luxurious trips hosted by grandparents who want to treat their grandchildren to the trip of a lifetime.
- Celebrations. Travelers continue to book big trips to celebrate milestone birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, retirements, career accomplishments and honeymoons. They feel that a trip abroad is a wonderful way to commemorate a major life event.
Artisans of Leisure arranges private cultural tours in more than 70 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.artisansofleisure.com or call 1 (800) 214-8144.
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