In her General Session remarks at the “Elevate the Journey” conference, held virtually last week, Global Travel Collection (GTC) President Angie Licea told travel advisors how important they are now, especially in the wake of constant interruptions and chaos due to COVID.
“As we come to the end of 2020, we can all reflect on what a strange year it has been,” Licea commented. “In the middle of a global pandemic, travel advisors have proven why they need to be a part of every traveler’s arsenal of professionals. Travel advisors have worked tirelessly to get clients back home after the COVID-19 outbreak, make sure that their treasured vacations are rescheduled and refunded, and been founts of reliable information on where, when and how we can travel. Although this has been a challenging and sometimes trying year, the future of luxury travel looks bright.”
GTC commissioned a survey last month to read the pulse of more than 1,000 affluent travelers. The following are key findings from the survey. Note: participants were allowed to choose more than one answer for these questions:
Travel Plans
- 64% are dreaming of when they can travel
- 18% have already booked a future trip
- 16% are starting to plan their next vacation
- 16% are not planning travel anytime soon
Comfort Level with Traveling
- 43% are waiting for a vaccine before planning travel
- 41% are comfortable planning 2021 and 2022 travel now
- 20% are concerned about the risks of future travel
- 10% are comfortable to travel in 2020
Travel Spending
- 56% expect to spend the same amount of money as last year on future trips
- 33% plan to spend less
- 12% plan to spend more
International Destinations Luxury Travelers Want
- Europe – 63%
- Australia/New Zealand – 21%
- Caribbean – 21%
- Africa – 18%
- Asia – 15%
- Central and South America – 14%
- Canada – 13%
- Mexico – 13%
- Antarctica – 4%
- Other – 11%
Luxury Cruising Interest
- Small luxury ship ocean cruising – 29%
- River cruising – 27%
- Large ship ocean cruising – 13%
- Expedition cruising – 8%
“What these results show is that luxury travelers are concerned with health and safety, as opposed to economics. The desire to travel is still there. Travel will be back, and when it is, luxury travelers will seek to consult with travel professional experts,” Licea said.
“If this year has taught us anything, it is that travel is a vital part of our economy and of people’s lives. We are colleagues, we are competitors, we are friends, regardless, #weRtravel. Let’s remember 2020 not as the year of the pandemic that decimated our industry, but instead as the start of a time that showed everyone that a travel is a vital engine of our economy and of our happiness.”
Global Travel Collection (GTC) of luxury travel agencies includes Protravel International, Tzell Travel Group, and Colletts Travel, as well as Andrew Harper, In the Know Experiences, All Star Travel Group and R. Crusoe & Son.
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