Exclusive Experiences Rank Highest with Luxury Travelers According to New Survey – Virginian
[STK]
[IN] TRA HRT
[SU] SVY
— WITH PHOTO — TO BUSINESS, AND TRAVEL EDITORS:
Exclusive Experiences Rank Highest with Luxury Travelers According to
New Survey
NEW YORK, April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — A recent survey conducted by
Travel Leaders Group reveals that luxury travelers are most interested
in exclusive access and experiences, particularly VIP tours, private
cars and drivers, and customized culinary experiences. These findings
were taken from the annual Travel Trends Survey conducted by Travel
Leaders Group, one of North America’s largest travel agency companies,
encompassing thousands of travel agents across the continent including
luxury travel advisors from Protravel International and Tzell Travel,
part of Travel Leaders Luxury Brands.
“Luxury travel today is all about access and experiences and our
agents excel in providing clients with individually tailored
once-in-a-lifetime experiences made possible through relationships
they have built all over the world,” said Gail Grimmett, President of
Travel Leaders Luxury Brands. “The survey results confirm that this
high level of service, expertise and personalization is exactly what
consumers are seeking.”
Examples of private, VIP-level experiences Travel Leaders Luxury
Brands advisors have provided to clients include:
— “In London, I like to send clients to a behind-the-scenes
experience with the Queen’s Guard while they prepare to take their
posts at Buckingham Palace before the Changing of the Guard. It’s a
way to experience British pomp and circumstance up close.” – Josh
Alexander, Protravel International
— “In Florence, I planned an exclusive guided tour of the Vasari
Corridor at the top of the famous Ponte Vecchio, the
closed-to-the-public corridor used by the Medici family to travel from
the Uffizi Gallery to the Pitti Palace.” – Ann St. Hilare, Protravel
International
— “I arranged for a private audience with one of the last remaining
Samurai swordsmiths in Japan for a family who arranged their whole
trip around his availability. There are not many Samurai swordsmiths
left so it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn about this
ancient art firsthand.” – Leslie Tillem, Tzell Travel Group
— “In Morocco, I arranged for clients to take an Arabic calligraphy
lesson in the home of an artist in Essaouira, a hike through the Atlas
Mountains and then eat with a local Berber family in their home.” –
Henley Vazquez, Passported, a Tzell Travel affiliate
— “In Canyon Point, Utah I arranged for my clients to take a sunrise
helicopter ride to the top of Tower Butte. An experienced yoga
specialist guided a private yoga and meditation session, one my
clients will truly never forget, and afterwards the helicopter took
them on a scenic flight back with views of Lake Powell and the vast
landscape of the Utah desert.” – Jonny Drubel, Protravel International
— “I’ve arranged for clients to experience life as a Viking in
Roskilde, one of the oldest towns in Denmark. They got a private tour
of the Viking Ship Museum then boarded a replica Viking ship for a
private sail on the Bay of Roskilde where they were able to assist the
crew and feel how hard it was to sail in that era.” – Jody Bear, Bear
Bear Travel, a Tzell affiliate
Private villa or home stays and private beach or island bookings also
ranked in the top five most sought-after experiences by clients in the
survey of Travel Leaders Luxury Brands travel advisors.
The 2018 ranking of Top Luxury Experiences in order:
Exclusive (VIP) Tour – 66%
Private Car and Driver – 51%
Custom Culinary Experiences – 46%
Private Villas or Homes – 39%
Private Beach or Island – 25%
The survey also found the top three international destinations among
luxury travelers to be European (river) cruising, Caribbean cruising,
and Italy, with European/Mediterranean cruising and Mexico rounding
out the top five.
“River cruising continues to grow in popularity among our luxury
travelers,” said Grimmett, “and we’re seeing the cruise industry
rapidly expanding this year with new ships, routes and more family and
singles-friendly options, to meet the demand of these high-end
travelers. There is truly a ship for every type of luxury traveler,
but seeking the advice of a travel advisor is essential in choosing
the right company and ship, as they each have distinct personalities.”
Here are the top 10 international destinations from Travel Leaders
Group’s 2018 survey:
Top International Destinations for 2018
European (River) Cruise
Caribbean Cruise
Italy
Europe (Mediterranean) Cruise
Mexico
Dominican Republic
Jamaica
Australia
Europe (Baltic) Cruise
France
Ireland
Costa Rica
Aruba
Bahamas
Iceland
South Africa
England
St. Lucia
Australia/New Zealand Cruise
Panama Canal Cruise
More than 1,300 travel agency owners, managers and frontline travel
agents from Travel Leaders Network, All Aboard Travel, CruCon Cruise
Outlet, Cruise Specialists, Nexion, Protravel
International, SinglesCruise.com, Travel Leaders Corporate, and Tzell
Travel Group units participated in the annual Travel Trends Survey,
which provides an authoritative barometer for what consumers from
across North America are booking most frequently. Travel Leaders
Group, one of North America’s largest travel companies, is a leader in
both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel and
consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.
About Travel Leaders Group
Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com) is transforming
travel with a commitment to our vacation and business travel clients
through our progressive approach toward each unique travel experience.
Having already assisted millions of travelers, Travel Leaders Group
manages leisure, business and franchise travel operations under a
variety of diversified divisions and brands. With over 7,000 agency
locations, Travel Leaders Group ranks as one of the industry’s largest
traditional travel agency companies.
2018: Year of the Travel Agent
Travel Leaders Group has named 2018 Year of the Travel Agent. Over the
last decade, the travel agency industry has flourished through
technology, the growth of travel options and personalized service.
Travel Leaders Group represents more than 52,000 travel agents
worldwide with unmatched expertise in 135,000 destinations and 53,000
areas of interest. Travelers and suppliers have rediscovered the value
a professional travel advisor delivers to the travel experience.
Travel agents help to move people around the world, and keep our
economy growing.
Contact: Carrie Culpepper
646-813-3857
cculpepper@travelleaders.com
View original content with
SOURCE Travel Leaders Group
-0- 04/19/2018
/Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/145161/travel—leaders—group—logo.jpg
/Web Site: http://www.travelleadersgroup.com
CO: Travel Leaders Group
ST: New York
IN: TRA HRT
SU: SVY
PRN
— CG71337 —
0000 04/19/2018 19:50:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
Leave a Reply