Luxury Travel Market Definition And Segments
Luxury travel refers to a high-end or premium style of tourism in which visitors look for luxurious, exclusive experiences and luxuries such as lodging facilities, services, and amenities. It is characterized by luxury accommodations, fine dining, top-notch services, and distinctive, immersive experiences.
The main types of tours in luxury travel are customized and private vacations, adventure and safari, cruise or ship expeditions, small group journeys, celebrations and special events, culinary travel, and shopping. Customized and private vacations involve tailoring every aspect of a trip to the traveler's preferences, from destinations and accommodations to activities and itineraries. They are suitable for various age groups including millennials, generation X, baby boomers, silver hair, and travelers, including absolute luxury, aspiring luxury, and accessible luxury for air transportation, water transportation, and land transportation booked by various channels such as phone booking, online booking, and in-person booking.
The luxury travel market covered in this report is segmented –
1) By Types of Tour: Customized and Private Vacations, Adventure And Safari, Cruise Or Ship Expedition, Small Group Journey, Celebration and Special Events, Culinary Travel and Shopping
2) By Age Group: Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, Silver Hair
3) By Type of Traveler: Absolute luxury, Aspiring luxury, Accessible luxury
4) By Transportation Type: Air Transportation, Water Transportation, Land Transportation
5) By Booking Channel: Phone Booking, Online Booking, In Person Booking
The luxury travel market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1612.91 billion in 2023 to $1696.93 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to economic growth and high disposable income, rising consumer aspirations, cultural and experiential tourism, emergence of luxury boutique hotels, health and wellness tourism.
The luxury travel market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $1987.15 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.0%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing air connectivity, rise of sustainable luxury, personalized and tech-driven experiences, experiential travel for millennials, health and safety considerations. Major trends in the forecast period include digital nomadism and remote work trends, collaborations with high-end brands, technological advancements, digital integration for seamless experiences, tech-enhanced security and privacy.
Luxury Travel Enhancing Adventure And Experiential Tourism Growth
The increasing demand for adventure and experiential travel is expected to propel the growth of the luxury travel market going forward. Adventure and experiential travel are forms of tourism that are usually remote or challenging, stress immersive and physical activities and include outdoor exploration, cultural immersion, and viewing of nature and wildlife. Luxury travel can be beneficial for adventurous and experiential travel by providing excellent customer service, a personalized experience, comfort, exquisite food, life-changing experiences, cultural immersion, helping the local economy, and exclusive and unique encounters. For instance, in 2023, according to Condor Ferries Limited, a UK-based travel services company, 65% of US visitors visited history and art museums, 59% visited aquariums, 56% visited science museums, and 49% of overseas visitors visited historical and cultural sights and 46% visited sightseeing tours. Furthermore, in March 2021, according to the International Trade Administration, a US-based government agency, international arrivals for travel and tourism in US states had increased to 22.1 million in 2021, up from 19.2 million in 2020. Therefore, the increasing demand for adventure and experiential travel is driving the growth of the luxury travel market.
Surge In Private Jet Demand Fuels Growth In The Luxury Travel Market
The increasing demand for private jets is expected to propel the growth of the luxury travel market going forward. A private jet refers to an aircraft that is privately owned or chartered for the exclusive use of specific individuals or groups, providing personalized and often luxurious air travel. Private jets enhance luxury travel by providing discerning travelers with exclusive, personalized, and efficient transportation, offering a heightened level of comfort, privacy, and flexibility in their journeys. For instance, in November 2023, according to Stratos Jet Charters Inc., a US-based aviation company, private jet sales reached more than $34.1 billion in 2022 and are forecast to climb by $500 million by the end of 2023. Therefore, the increasing demand for private jets is driving the growth of the luxury travel market.
Major companies operating in the luxury travel market report are TUI Group, Thomas Cook Group PLC, Four Seasons Hotels Limited, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC, Raffles Hotels And Resorts, Rosewood Hotel Group, Lindblad Expeditions Holdings Inc., Travelopia Holdings Limited, Virtuoso Ltd., Tauck Inc., Exodus Travels Limited, Backroads, Black Tomato, Ovation Travel Group, Butterfield & Robinson Inc., Wexas Limited, Ker & Downey, Geographic Expeditions Inc., Zicasso Inc., Micato Safaris Inc., Voyage Prive UK Limited, Asia Transpacific Journeys, Kensington Tours Ltd., Cox & Kings Ltd., Travel With Meredith
High Costs For Luxury Travel
The high costs for luxury travel is the major restraint for luxury travel market growth during the forecast period. Luxury travel involves visiting exclusive and remote destinations, which require costly transportation options, including private jets or chartered yachts and accommodations such as luxury hotels, private villas, or upscale cruise ships are costly for travelers. For instance, in December 2022, according to the Fischer Travel Enterprises Inc., a US-based luxury travel and lifestyle agency, the membership cost for luxury travel is from $100,000 to $150,000 and annual fees is $25,000. Therefore, the high costs for luxury travel is hindering the growth of the luxury travel market.
Luxury Travel Companies Innovate With Unique Antarctic Adventure Experience
Major companies operating in the luxury travel market are trying to develop new adventure experiences to gain a competitive edge in the market. Adventure experiences are a great way to explore the outdoors and challenge physically and mentally. For instance, in December 2022, according to White Desert, a UK-based tour operator, launched its latest luxury project in Antarctica, known as Echo Base. This space-inspired facility takes advantage of the 24-hour daylight in the region and is open for a limited window from mid-November to late January, accommodating no more than 12 guests at a time. The central hub, named Cosmos, connects to the Sky Pods through tunnels, creating a futuristic atmosphere reminiscent of a spaceship docking station. This new venture represents a forward-looking vision of Antarctic tourism, offering a unique and luxurious experience in one of the world's most remote locations.
Scott Dunn Is Acquired By Flight Centre Travel Group To Increase Its Presence In The Luxury Travel Industry
In January 2023, Flight Centre Travel Group, an Australia-based travel agency, acquired Scott Dunn for $150 million. With this acquisition, Flight Centre Travel Group aims to strengthen its position as a premium brand in the industry by increasing its portfolio in the high-margin luxury travel sector and better serving affluent passengers. Scott Dunn is a UK-based travel company specializing in tailor-made luxury holidays and experiences.
Europewas the largest region in the luxury travel market in 2023. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the luxury travel market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.
The countries covered in the luxury travel market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.
The luxury travel market includes revenues earned by entities by providing services including personalized concierge services, private transportation, spa and wellness services, butler services, and private guides. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
The luxury travel market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides luxury travel market statistics, including the luxury travel industry's global market size, regional shares, competitors with a luxury travel market share, detailed luxury travel market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the luxury travel industry. This luxury travel market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.