ASATravelTrendReport

2024-2025

Overview

OVERVIEW

Exceptional,personalisedserviceisnowmorecrucialthaneverin

theluxuryhospitalitysector.Projectionsindicatethattheluxurymarketwillexpandatafasterratethananyotherhotelcategory,reaching

6%

annualgrowthby2025

.Thisgrowthisfueledbyincreasingcompetition,withaproliferationofluxuryhotelsandalternativeaccommodationslikeupscalevillasofferingchefandstaffservices.Evennon-luxury

propertiesareimprovingtheirphysicalamenities,narrowingthegapintermsofluxuriousfeatureslikeplushbeddingandrainfallshowers.

However,thedefinitionofluxuryisevolvingbeyondtangibleelements.Affluenttravellersincreasingly

prioritizeuniqueexperiences

,vibrantatmospheres,andpersonalisedserviceovertraditionalopulence.

Consumerspendingdataconfirmsagrowinginterestinexperientialtravelandadeclineindemandfornonessentialgoods.

ResearchfromMcKinsey

suggeststhatthemostinfluentialfactorinatravellerIschoiceofhotelbrandisnotprice,quality,orconvenience,butratherpositivepastexperiences.

3?ASALuxury

4?ASALuxury

THELUXURYTRAVELLEROF2025

Pricing

HighpricesanddynamicpricinghaspushedtheUKmarketawayfromcertaindestinationsthattheyfeelcanbevisitedanothertime.ThecostofaluxurytripinEuropeinpeakseasonisnowonparwithbucketlisttripsontheothersideoftheworld.

HNWIintheUK

LondonandtheUKarehometolargegroupsofHNW,non-UK-bornindividuals,whoreadtheBritishpressbutdonottravelunderaBritishpassport.Itisimportanttokeepthisinmindwhenobservingsalesandbookingdemographics.

Last-minutebookings

Thedesireforflexibilityandfinancialorpoliticaluncertaintyhasledtoasurgeinlast-minutetravelbookings.Thishasbeenfeltaroundtheworldandit'sheretostay.

Theluxurytravelleroftoday

Just35%oftheluxury-travelmarketisnowcomposedoftravellerswithnetworthsofbetween$100,000and$1million.Furthermore,80%oftheluxuryleisuremarketismadeupofpeoplebelowtheageof60.Spendingontravelpeaksbetweentheagesof40and60,andyoungertravellersshowanincreasingwillingnessandabilitytospendatluxurylevels.–McKinsey&Co.'sStateofTourismandHospitality2024Report

TravelAgentsandTourOperators

LuxurytravellerscontinuetousetravelagentsandTOsinsteadofonlineplatforms,inpartbecausetheysimplywantsomeoneelsetotakecareofthetransactionalbookingdetails.Today’sluxurytravelagentsaregivenmorepowerbytechnologyanddatathatenablebothapersonalisedtouchandarobust,responsivelevelofback-endservice.Subscription-basedtravelclubsthatmeetalltheseneedsbygivingpayingmembersaccesstoanexclusive,carefullycuratedselectionofproperties,activities,andagencyserviceshavebecomeanattractivesolution,especiallyforyoungerluxurytravellers.ThesameistrueforTOs,forpeaceofmindwhiletravelling,eventonearbydestinations.–McKinsey&Co.'sStateofTourismandHospitality2024Report

5?ASALuxury

TRAVELTRENDS2024/25

Nostalgiatravel

Pop-culturetripping

Mindful

orientated

travel

Night-timeexperiences

Solotravel

Bucketlisttrips

Coldtherapies

Treksandpilgrimages

Longevity

AspotlightonLondon

Microdosing

Hostingtrends

Media

expectations

Low-impactoperations

Menopausewellness

Brandcollabsandpopups

Sexualwellness

TravelTrends

7?ASALuxury

NIGHT-TIMEEXPERIENCES

Night-timeexperiencesaregainingpopularityastravellersseeknewwaystoexplore.Manyaredrawntoreconnectingwithnaturethroughactivitieslikestargazingandnighthikes,whichofferapeacefulexperience.Additionally,escapingdaytimeheatand

crowdsmakesnight-timeactivitiesmoreappealing,providingcoolertemperaturesandquieterenvironmentsforuniqueexploration.

Natureatnight

Astro-tourism

Withathirdoftheglobalpopulationunabletoseethestarsduetolightpollution,astro-tourismpromotestripstodestinationswithclearnightskiesforstunningviewsofstarsandconstellations.

Night-timeWellness

Demandforwellnessexperiencesbeyonddaytimehoursisrisingin

hospitality.

TravelWeekly

reportsanincreaseineveningactivities,likefullmoonyogaatTheFourSeasonsBayan,aswellasnight-timeandtwilightspaexperiences.

Beatingtheheat

Night-timetours

Touroperatorsandpopularsitesareincreasinglyrecognizingtheappealofnight-timetours,especiallyinareasfacingovertourism.Forexample,the

VaticanMuseumsandSistineChapel

offerexclusivenighttours,

allowingvisitorstoenjoyItalianmasterpiecesinalesscrowded,softlylitsetting.Similarly,the

ValleyoftheTemples

inAgrigentoprovides

sunsetandnighttours,enablingcomfortableexplorationoftheSicilianUNESCOsiteduringhotsummermonths.

8?ASALuxury

MINDFUL-ORIENTEDTRAVEL

Astravellersseekdeeperexperiences,twomindfultravelmethods—SoberTravelandSilentTravel—promotepersonalgrowthandself-discovery.Byeliminatingdistractionslikealcoholornoise,theseapproachesencouragetravellerstobefullypresentand

engagemoredeeplywiththeirsurroundings,enhancingsensoryawarenessandclarity.

SoberTravel

Therising

SoberCuriousMovement

reflectsagrowinginterestin

reducingoreliminatingalcoholforbetterhealth,mindfulness,and

clarity.Gen-Zisasignificantdriverofthistrend,accordingto

The

Guardian

astheytendtobemorerisk-averse,influencedbysocial

mediaawareness.Asurveyof1,000Gen-ZAustraliansfoundthat84%wouldchoosetotravelsober,citingsafety,cost,andthedesiretoavoidfeelingunwellthenextdayastheirtopreasons.Seealso:

National

GeographicTraveller

.

Industryleaders

areinvestinginnon-alcoholic(NA)drinks,suchas

MoetHennessy'sinvestmentinNAsparklingwinelabelFrenchBloom.Thesectorexperienceda29%volumegrowthin2023,with45%ofGenZstayingsoberandothergenerationsalsocuttingback.

Silenttravel

SilentTravelhasemergedfromagrowingdesireformindfultravel.

CondéNastTraveller

notesthatnoisepollutioncanleadtohealthissues,includingdepressionandcardiovasculardisease,and

highlightstheneedtodisconnectfrombothoverwhelmingsoundsanddigitalstimulation.Silentactivitiespromotecomfortwithourthoughts,helpmanagestress,andboostcreativity.

SilentTravelcanincludedigitaldetoxcabins,silentwalks,meditations,andretreats.

Touroperatorslike

BlackTomato

arerespondingtothistrendby

offeringbespoketoursthatpromote"totaldisconnection"inserenelandscapes.

NOSTALGIATRAVEL

Difficulttimesdriveustoseekcomfort.Nothingevokesfeelingsofwell-beingquitelikerememberingpasttimes.

B

spottedthetrendin2023alreadyhighlightinghowtravelersare

lookingfortripsthat'tapintosimplertimes'.88%oftravellerswantnostalgic

getaways–thingslikevisitstoretrofilmlocationsevokingoldschoolglamourthatgenerationslikeMillenialsandGenZhaveneverlivedandhaveonlyseenin

pictures.

Thisisalsoreflectedinfoodtrends,becomingmuchmorerelaxed.

ChefFiona

Were

isnoticing"asignificantshifttotheold-fashionedclassicsthatare

comfortinglyfamiliar.Foodsthatremindusofourchildhood,disheswitharetrovibeormoretraditionalroots.Think:well-executedprawncocktails,beef

wellingtons,stickytoffeepuddings,profiteroles…"

9?ASALuxury

SOLOTRAVEL

Forbes

reportsasignificantriseinsolotravel,with27%oftravellersgoingsoloin2017comparedto50%in2024.Thissurgeisdrivenbyapost-pandemicdesiretoexplore,alongwithlifetransitionslikeretirementandfinishingeducation.

The

AmericanExpress2024GlobalTravelTrendsReport

highlightssolotravelasamajortrendamongyoungtravellers,with76%ofMillennialsandGen-Zplanningsolotripsthisyear.

Solotripsareeasiertoplanandallowtravellerstopursuetheirinterestswithoutgroupcompromises.AccordingtotheAMEXsurvey,57%ofrespondentsaremorelikelytooptforaquicksoloweekendgetawayratherthanalongertrip,withnearlyathirdindicatingthey’dprefersolotraveltoanewcity.

10?ASALuxury

11?ASALuxury

POPCULTURETRAVEL

Setjettingandgigtrippingareemergingtrendswheretravellersvisiticonicfilmlocationsortraveltoseefamousartistsandevents,allowingfanstoengagedirectlywiththeculturalscenesthatinspirethem,orgettingtoseeanartistwhilediscoveringanew

destination.

Gigtripping

FromTaylorSwiftandBeyoncétoArcticMonkeysandAndréRieu,thelastseveralyearshaveprovedthatfanswilltraveloverseastowatchtheirfavouritesperformlive,toavoidsoaringticketpricesintheir

hometown,butalsotocombinethepleasureoftravellingwith

attendingaconcert.Accordingto

CondéNastTraveller,

destination

concertbusinesshasincreasedby50%,withbothtoursbyhugestarsandfestivalssuchasGlastonburybeinghugecatalystsfortravel.

GlobaltravelandtourismhasbeenhugelyaffectedbyItheTaylorSwifteffectIwithstatisticsfromthe

WallStreetJournal

showingthat

attendeesoftheTaylorSwiftErasTourwasspendinganaverageof$1,300onhotelaccommodationandtravel.

Setjetting

AccordingtotheBritishAirways2024traveltrendforecastingreport,incollaborationwithGlobetrender,78%oftravellershavebeeninspiredtovisitalocationthatfeaturedinamovieortvshow.

In2022,theterm

IWhiteLotusEffect

Iwascirculatedfollowingthereleaseofthesecondseriesofthepopulartvshow.ThefirstseasonbasedinMaui,releasedin2021,sawvisitorstotheHawaiianislandincreaseby16%.AfterthesecondseasonwasbasedintheSiciliantownofTaormina,searchesforSiciliantourism

increasedby50%

.

BUCKETLISTTRIPS

Bigtripsarebecomingamajortraveltrendaspeopleincreasinglyseekmeaningful,once-in-a-lifetimeexperiencesafteryearsoflimitedtravelduetothepandemic.

Manytravellersareprioritising"bucket-list"destinationsandmilestonevacations,drivenbyarenewedsenseofurgencytoexploretheworld.

Accordingto

AmericanExpress2024GlobalTravelTrendsReport

,65%oftravellersaremoreinterestedintakingamajortripin2024thaninpreviousyears.

Additionally,72%wouldprefertosaveforasignificanttripoverspendingmoneyonsocialoutings.

MastercardTravelTrends2024

dataalsorevealsthattouristsareextendingtheirtripsbyaboutoneextradaycomparedtopre-COVID,particularlyinmore

affordabledestinations.Consequently,theUKmarketisleaningtowardslonger-distancetraveloutsideEurope.BritishAirways'2024trendreportlistsNewYork,Orlando,Dubai,Barbados,Cancun,theMaldives,andLasVegasasthetop

searchedholidaypackages.

12?ASALuxury

13?ASALuxury

LOWIMPACTTRAVEL

Sustainabletravelcontinuestoberecognisedasimportant,butitisnottheprimarydriverforbookings.Rather,ithasbecomeanexpectedstandardamongtravellers.Thisisalsotrueformedia.

Responsibletravel

A2024

Breport

saw75%oftravellersexpressadesiretotravelmoresustainably.

TheInternationalTourismPartnershiphasoutlinedthatthehotel

industrymustreduceitscarbonemissionsby66%by2030,and90%by2050(ascomparedto2010levels)tocomplywiththeParisAgreementclimatechangenegotiationsagreedatCOP21.

TheGlobetrenderIndependentHotelstravelreportfor2024underscoresthatBCorpcertificationisthehighestaccreditationforsociallyand

environmentallyawarecompaniesand,sofar,fewhotelshavemanagedtoearnit.

Localimpact

Travellersaremoreconsciousofactivitieswheretheycanhaveadirectimpact(supportinglocalcommunitiesandconserving

wildlife),ratherthanimpactofoperationslikeenergyconservationorconstructionmaterials.

Independenthotelsareinauniquepositiontohand-pickartisancraftspeopleandfoodproducerstofurnishtheirinteriorsand

stocktheirkitchens.On-sitegardensarealsogrowinginpopularityasself-sufficiencybecomesatrend.

Thesedays,moreandmoretravellersareimpressedbythenamingoflocalprovidersonmenus.

BRANDCOLLABORATIONS&POPUPS

Morehotelsarepartneringwithbrands,eitherbigandfamousorsmallandlocal,tocreatespecialin-roomamenitiesandpop-upboutiques.

RobbReport

suggeststhatasretailfoottrafficdeclines,morefashionbrandsarepivotingtheirattentiontowardsfashion-savvyjet-setters.Special,brandedin-roomitems,fromhairdryerstoyogamatsand

massagegunsnotonlyamplifyguestexperiencebutintroducenewandglobalaudiencestobrands.RobbReportunderscoresthat

partnershipsopennewavenuesforexposureandloyaltytoboththebrandandhotel.

Forbes

hasalsorecognisedthegrowingrelationshipbetweenfashionhousesandhotels,arguingthatthestrongbrandidentityofhotels

servestobothinspirenewdesignsforthefashionbrand.Hotelscanprovidetheperfectsettingandbackdroptocampaignsandoffertheopportunitytoshowcasebrandswithasimilaraesthetic.

14?ASALuxury

WellnessTravel

Trends

16?ASALuxury

ASPOTLIGHTONWHATLONDONERSHAVEACCESSTOWITHOUTTHENEEDTOTRAVEL

ThelevelofwellnesstechavailabletoLondonersisimpressiveand,insomecases,morefuturisticthanatdestinationspas,meaningHNWLondonerscanbeveryselectivewhenitcomestowellnesstravel.Furthermore,themediafavoraccessibility,sowillrecommendan

experienceinLondonbeforesuggestingtravellingabroad.

NekoBodyScan

atMaryleboneHealthCentreusesmorethan70

sensorstocollect50milliondatapoints,checkingmoles,symptomsofmetabolicsyndrome,riskfactorsforstrokeandheartattack,bloodfatsandbloodsugarlevelstoassesspre-diabetesrisk,skincancerand

bloodabnormalities.

TheupcomingZero-gravitybathingexperienceatTheMandrakeHotelwithaWavessWellnessPool.Thecircular,multi-sensoryimmersion

poolisdesignedtoletguests“floatinmusicandsacredvibrations”

usingwaterhaptictechnologytomakethepoolvibratewithsoundatlowfrequencies.

LansherofatTheArtsClub,theLondonoutpostoftheaward-

winningspa,givesaccesstospecialistsspanningcardiology,

osteopathyandMayrmedicine.Theyalsohaveanimpressivegymwheretheequipmentisnext-generation(forinstance,thevirtual-reality-assistedIcarustostrengthenyourcore)andtheclasses

areinspired,likejete?withEricUnderwood,aformerRoyalBalletsoloist.Itsfocusisstillonprevention(cue,MRIscanners,a

futuristic‘MovementLab’anddedicated‘SpineLab’inadiagnostic,Bondvillain-likelairinthebasement)

17?ASALuxury

LONGEVITY

Longevityhasbecomeakeywellnesstrendaspeopleincreasinglyprioritiselivinglonger,healthierlivesratherthanjustaddressingimmediatehealthconcerns.

Theemergenceofhigh-endlongevityclinicsrepresentsastrong

businesscategory,blurringthelinesbetweenconventionalmedicalcareandwellnesspractices.Consequently,anincreasingnumberofsuch

clinicsarespringingupallaroundtheworld.Largecompaniesand

entrepreneursareinvestingintothistrendsuchasglobalhotelierSamNazarianandbusinessmanTonyRobbins,whoare

partneringuptoopen

aseriesoflongevityclubsandhotels

.

Netflix’srecentseriesontheBlueZonescommunitieshasre-startedtheconversationaboutkeyelementsofourlifestylethatcanhelpachieve

longevity,whilecountrieslike

Singapore

aredoingsomemodernengineeringofBlueZonesprinciples.

Wealsoseeagrowthinmedicalspasandbiotechstartups

workingoncomplexlongevityinterventions:whetherunriddlingtheepigenome,reversingcellularsenescence,ornewDNArepairtherapies.Inthenameoflongevity,medicalspasoffermedical-gradehyperbaricoxygentherapy,cryonicfreezing,peptidesandexosomes,“youngblood”transfusions,andsoon.

BIGTREKSANDPILGRIMAGES

The

GlobalWellnessSummit

hassharedthatrecordnumbersofpeoplearegoingonfamous,ancientpilgrimagetrailsaspartoftheirtravels.

Whetherthe9th-century

CaminodeSantiago

inSpain(in2023,arecordhalfa

millionpeoplewalkedit)or

Japan’s88-templeShikokuTrail

,pilgrimagesoffer

travellersnew,globalwalking/hikingtrailsthatcelebratehistory,cultureand

religion.Regardingthelatter,recentdataabouttheCaminodeSantiagorevealedthatonly40%ofwalkershittingitstrailswerewalkingforpurelyreligiousreasons.

Therefore,mostmodernpilgrimsareseekers,butthey’reseekingablendedformofwellness:challengingphysicalactivity,findinginnerpeace,beingimmersedinnatureandlocalculture,andspiritualandpersonalgrowth.

NationalGeographic

observesthatpilgrimagesaretheperfectroutesforfitnesssavvytravellers,lookingtoincorporatecultureandhistoryintoanactiveitinerary.

18?ASALuxury

COLDTHERAPIES

Coldplunges,icewaterswimming,andcryotherapyweregainingtractionamongextremewellnessenthusiastsbeforethepandemic.In2017,theGlobalWellnessSummitpredictedthesepracticeswouldgomainstreamaspartofits

“Extreme

Wellness”

trend.

Thosewholivenearabodyofcoldfreshwater–ariver,lakeorocean–cantakeanaturalcold-waterplunge.Beyondthementalclarityitoffers–

studies

showalinkbetweencoldexposureandupticksinvariousbrainchemicalsassociationwith

well-being–coldwatertherapyhaslongbeenusedbyathletestoreduce

inflammation,decreasemusclepainandswelling.Andmanyalsobelieveitcanboostmetabolism,shoreupthe

immunesystem

andevenhelpussleepbetter.

Othersreportreductionindepressivesymptoms,improvedmoodsandeven

betterbrainfunction.Asaresult,morehotelsareofferingicebathingexperiences.Whilstthisiseasierforhotelsinalpinelocations,evenUKwellnesshotelsare

adoptingthispopularwellnessmethod,andsomeareoffering

'icebathretreats

'.

19?ASALuxury

20?ASALuxury

MENOPAUSERETREATS

Traditionally,menopausehasbeenanunder-discussedphaseoflifebutthereisagrowingrecognitionoftheneedforsupportandwellnessservicestailoredspecificallytothistransition.Theriseofwellnessculture,combinedwithgreateropennessaboutwomen'shealthissues,hasledtomorewomenseekingproactivewaystonavigatemenopauseinapositive,empoweredway.

Withagrowingnumberofwomenapproachingtheageofhormonal

changes—by2025,approximately

1.1billionwomenworldwide

willhaveexperiencedmenopause—thetravelindustryiscateringtoanewniche:womenwhowanthelpdealingwitheverythingfromhotflashestomoodswings,withperhapssomeclassicspatreatmentsthrownin.

Thetopicofmenopausecontinuestogrowandbecomemorecateredtobythewellnessandbeautyspace(

theglobalmenopausemarket

hit$15.4billionin2021andisslatedtoreach$24.4billionby2030),itseemsthe

travelindustryisalsotakingnotice.

Morehotelsandwellnessretreatsareofferingretreatsand

programmes

aimedatmenopause

,suchasSHASpainandCliniqueLaPrairie,offeringtreatmentsincorporatingHRT,acupunctureandhomeopathy.

21?ASALuxury

SEXUALWELLNESS

Thebenefitsofsexonouroverallhealthhavelongbeenunderestimatedandhowprioritisingsexualhealthcan

significantlyimpactone'sphysical,

emotional,andpsychologicalhealth

,withthepotentialtoimproveyourimmunesystem,improvesleep,buildtrustandreducestress.TheWorldHealthOrganisationhasbeenemphasisingthisandnowbigplayersinthetravelindustryaregettingonboard.

Accordingto

CondéNastTraveller

and

TheFinancialTimes

sexual

wellnesshasbeenagrowingwellnesstrend,thankstonotablewellnessfiguressuchasGwynethPaltrow,wholaunchedGoopSex,tohotelsandretreatslaunchingprogrammesaimedatconnection,self-esteemand

comfort.Indeed,