In-house research has revealed Hawaii is the number one destination Australian customers are booking through travel e-commerce specialist, Luxury Escapes. More than 40% of Luxury Escapes’ customers say they want to travel to the Aloha State, says CEO Cameron Holland.
The company has also seen a surge in interest for “more adventurous destinations” by members in its database of over 3 million. Locations such as Turkey, Egypt, Russia and destinations other than Bali in Indonesia are trending hot in the latest member survey.
“Some of the trends people are talking about for next year and the years beyond are even more adventurous – South Africa, Jordan, Korea, and a little bit out-of-the-way places in Europe, like Sicily and Sardinia, which aren’t on the common tourist paths,” Holland revealed.
“We’re also seeing people wanting more adventure, history and cultural aspects of travel.”
“One of the things we are starting to see is more stylistic travel, so event based, or culturally based – particularly food tours are really growing in popularity.”
Reacting to that latter trend, Luxury Escapes has introduced touring based around cuisine.
“It’s not just a restaurant booking they are after. People want to actually go and learn about the heritage and experience the culture of food – it could be a five-star dining experience or it could be a hawker-style option on a street in Southeast Asia. They are really getting into the local feel of a place.”
Beyond luxury resorts, Holland said Luxury Escapes’ members are seeking different styles of accommodation, such as glamping, over-water bungalows and castle stays.
The research also showed a trend in customers booking packages based on what Holland referred to as “surprise and delight”.
“In many surveys that we’ve done, 63% of our travellers said they weren’t thinking about that destination when they booked with us. And over 90% are saying they weren’t even thinking about which hotel either.”
“We really are about promoting what is new, what is different and connecting with what their style of travel is about to make sure they have the best luxury escape they can.”
This week Luxury Escapes announced a new partnership with Latitude Financial. The agreement provides Luxury Escapes’ customers with the option to pay off holidays valued under $1,000 over 10 weekly instalments with no interest through LatitudePay.
“LatitudePay is a great way for our customers to take advantage of booking limited-time offers without having to pay the entire cost upfront, reducing the financial strain that can be associated with booking travel,” Holland said.
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