Steffen Hager, Senior Public Relations Manager Kaus Media Services
What does new luxury mean for me personally when traveling...?
For me, new luxury when traveling means having the freedom to discover the world again. Experiencing the uniqueness of countries and cities, be it a safari in South Africa or a culinary discovery tour in Vienna. For me, the new luxury means that I can get in touch with people, get to know the special features of the country through them and learn more about the background.
What extraordinary and luxurious experiences can customers expect in the future?
The days when luxurious experiences were defined by lots of pomp and gold are over. Especially after the last few weeks or months, customers want to experience their trips more intensively and take in much more. It is important that the experiences and activities are tailored as personally as possible to individual customer needs. The era of large travel groups with standard programs has been on the decline in the upscale travel segment for some time, but now this issue is finally over. What will also play an important role in the future is that safety and hygiene standards are adhered to during activities and that these are communicated transparently.
How will booking behavior change, which trends will be set, which will be abandoned?--
A certain degree of flexibility will become increasingly important to travelers, especially now that they have been made aware of how suddenly unforeseen events can occur. Even now that travel is at least partially possible again, the situation remains very dynamic due to sudden entry restrictions or quarantine regulations. Travelers therefore want to have the freedom to change their plans at short notice. The trend towards mass tourism has already been under scrutiny in recent years due to the sustainability aspect. Now that social distancing is important in all areas and avoiding crowds is fundamental, individual travel or small, exclusive group trips are becoming exciting.
When choosing a hotel, it is also likely that hotels with a limited number of rooms and plenty of personal space will be preferred in the future. The trend towards boutique hotels or top-class luxury hotels such as Aman, Four Seasons etc. will continue.
In terms of cruises, many travelers will say goodbye to 5,000+ person cruise ships. Smaller shipping companies with luxurious ships but smaller crews (e.g. Seabourn, Ponant or, in future, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection) have a great opportunity here.
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