WHO ARE THE NEW GENERATION LUXURY TRAVELLERS?
Who are the New Generation luxury travellers? - Luxury Travel Magazine
| By Vanessa Zhang |
| Date: 15 September 2011 |
| ARE YOU AN OLD-STYLE LUXURY TRAVELLER, OR PART OF A NEW GENERATION? IT HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH YOUR AGE BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR ATTITUDE. Baby Boomers make up the biggest age segment in high-end spenders on travel and some of them have apparently moved beyond seeking out high-end goods and are now seeking out self-discovery. They belong to what is being labelled as the new generation of luxury traveller. They travel to places where they can search for an influence in their lives, among other things. Idris Mootee, the CEO of Idea Couture Inc., a San Francisco-based customer insights firm, told Travel Market Report, “They’re now looking for places to go where they’ll find deeper meaning, inspiration and enlightenment.’ The new generation of luxury travellers are also increasingly taking responsibility for their ecological impacts and attempting to reduce their carbon footprints. Eco-friendly luxury accommodation and carbon neutral glamping sites are heralding the new way of staying in luxurious accommodation. Also, in August this year, Qantas reached its one million tonnes offset milestone in the Qantas Group’s Carbon Offset Program. According to Neil Ager, the Regional Commercial Manager for British Airways, South Pacific, travellers around the world have become far more discriminating in their requirements for a premium travel experience. “The new luxury traveller is a discerning and well-travelled individual, often balancing busy aspects of their lifestyle and as such very conscious of using their time well. One of the key expectations for luxury travellers is a high level of customer service that recognises every traveller as an individual and acknowledges customer loyalty,” he said. Discussions on the new generation of luxury travellers and more will be held at The International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Ultratravel Forum 2011 in December this year at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. It will cover luxury traveller lifestyle trends, predictions on the world economy in 2012 and guest speakers and panellists including the guest of honour Isadore Sharp, the founder of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. |