NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Travel Weekly’s sister title Aspire brought together 275 delegates for its Leaders of Luxury Conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London. Juliet Dennis reports


Maori dancers perform the haka


TV presenter Anita Rani


Google chief advises luxury brands to offer web booking


Luxury brands need to be ready for a growing market of holidaymakers booking online rather than at a high street travel agent.


Currently, luxury customers


tend to research online and book in store, and are less seasonal in terms of when they look for holidays, according to Ruairidh Roberts (pictured below), Google’s senior industry head of travel. He cited figures from Bain &


Company which showed 85% of the growth of the luxury market in 2017 was fuelled by a younger, aspirational audience of holidaymakers in their 20s and 30s. “They would like the option


to book online, and if you keep directing them to the store, there will be a growing audience who want to do everything online, and will go to a competitor,” he warned. Roberts said there had been a


20% growth in ‘luxury’ searches on Google in 2017 compared with the previous year, with 62% of retail searches for luxury products being made on mobile. However, he said most purchases


took place in a shop in 2017. “Every customer I work with uses digital as a route to purchase: 75% of luxury purchases are influenced by digital but 91% of luxury purchases take place in store,” he added. Roberts quoted a Mintel


Luxury Travel Report from 2016 that found 64% of luxury holidaymakers preferred a package where everything was included, compared with 35%


12 travelweekly.co.uk 30 August 2018


booking accommodation and travel separately, while 1% had no preference. “Luxury means not having to


do everything themselves,” he said. “The majority steer clear of booking all the aspects themselves.” Activities and facilities such as spa treatments and access to a private pool or beach were far more important to the luxury traveller than transport to their holiday, the report found. Spa and beauty treatments were important to 29% of respondents; 27% said private pools were essential; 24% chose access to a private beach from seafront accommodation; and 21% cited gourmet standard dining. Business-class air travel was important to 16%. This backs up the trend for


experiences in the luxury sector, Roberts said. He added: “The whole of the luxury market is being driven by experiences. It used to be destination, then price. These days, the experience is leading in growth, and destination is less important.”


Jeanne Lally and Mark Duguid


‘Don’t judge clients just on their looks’


Travel agents should not ‘pigeonhole’ clients based on what they look like when they walk in the door, the boss of The Travel Bureau has warned. Jeanne Lally, director of the


Newcastle-based agency, said luxury travel could no longer be easily defined by brands, products or appearances. Similarly, she said there was


not ‘one type’ of client in the luxury sector. “To pigeonhole customers is dangerous,” she said. “Luxury now is not just about brands. The definition of the luxury customer now is very different. Being frank, it’s about budget.” Carrier managing director Mark Duguid said his view of what luxury travel meant had changed since he took up his role in April 2017. “I have relaxed my view of


inextricably linking luxury to product,” he said. “It’s too easy to get tied up on [hotel] suites. I am happy for a customer to define luxury.” Filip Boyen, chief executive of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, added: “Everyone’s expectation of luxury is different.”


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