WELCOME
What does luxury mean
to you? And, more
importantly, what does it
mean to your clients?
Desires at the top end of
the market are shifting,
as we discover in Nick
Easen’s feature on page
two. Travellers with deep
pockets are looking for
intense experiences
rather than plasma TVs,
and to experience local
culture rather than hide
away in a gated resort.
Give your sports-mad
customers the holiday
experience of their lives
and read Will Gray’s
piece on page six. He
gives you the lowdown
on how to send
spectators around the
world in the lap of luxury,
whether they’re tracking
Andy Murray’s tennis
racquet to New York or
Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car
to Singapore.
On page 11, we explore
heaven for your animalloving
clients. Exotic
wildlife sells holidays,
and operators are fi nding
new ways to give top-end
travellers the thrill of
getting close up to lions,
tigers and bears –
without lowering their
deluxe standards.
On page eight Linsey
McNeill checks out how
the introduction of the
Airbus A380 has raised
standards yet again in
fi rst-class air travel, and
on page 14 we review
Palma de Mallorca’s most
luxurious hotel.
Joanna Booth
editor, TWluxury
2 | TWLuxury | March 2009
BIN THE
BLING Big
Wealthy
holidaymakers are
now more likely to
watch the stars
with Berber
tribesmen than a
vast plasma screen in their hotel room.
According to a Travel Weekly straw
poll of high-end operators, a desire for
authentic experiences is increasingly
prevalent across the country. Stories
and images of exclusive trips that open
a window on to a new culture are now
inspiring a greater number of
travellers.
“People with money are still willing
to spend, but they want to come away
having had a special experience rather
than a stay in a fl ashy hotel,” said
Exsus marketing manager Lucy Clark.
According to Travel 2, elephant
mahout training is increasingly
popular at the Anantara hotel in
northern Thailand. In the Seychelles,
small, owner-managed hotels are
gaining over larger chains, as
holidaymakers try to get closer to the
real ‘Creole’ feeling.
As the world tumbles into a
deepening economic malaise, holidays
that exude bling and over-the-top
decadence are also increasingly
perceived as vulgar, according to Serge
Dive, founder of new travel
Sell exclusive experiences,
such as vineyard tours with the
winemaker in South Africa
spenders are
choosing authenticity
over out-and-out
luxury.
Nick Easen
fi nds out more
marketplace Pure Life Experiences
(see box, next page), which aims to
cater to the growing market for more
meaningful vacations.
“In this challenging climate,
travellers are looking closely at their
choices. They are demanding
transformational experiences that
refl ect both creativity and insider
access,” said Abercrombie and Kent
chairman Geoffrey Kent.
A number of key trends are evolving.
Holidaymakers are opting to immerse
themselves in local cultures rather
than attend performances put on for
visitors, and others are looking for
more philanthropic holidays. Above
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