With travel restrictions becoming a thing of the past in the post-pandemic world, the desire for globetrotting has returned. In fact, since Oct 2022, The Travel Corporation (TTC) — the parent company of award-winning travel brands — has observed an increase in interest in luxury travel among travellers from Asia.
Also read: Our Post-Pandemic Wish List: What We Want Travel to Look Like in the Next Few Years
Tourism trends in the post-pandemic world
With this renewed desire, comes the natural question: What kinds of new travel experiences are travellers looking out for?
There has been a “growing demand in premium, luxury tours,” expressed Nick Lim, CEO (Asia) of TTC. “Many [travellers] have [indicated the desire for] exclusive and immersive travel, [with travellers hoping] to dive deeper into a city’s culture and history [and to] engage with its community.”
1. Luxury travel is on the rise
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Put simply, travellers are willing to spend more. “According to a recent survey of 500 wealthy travellers in APAC — by the International Luxury Travel Market in conjunction with affluent research specialist Altiant — almost half of the surveyed plan to spend more on holidays [now] than [on] pre-COVID trips.”
To prove this, TTC witnessed that more than 70% of its sales leads were for their premium tour brands: Insight Vacations and Trafalgar. When you book luxury tours with Insight Vacations, for instance, you’re guaranteed “true comfort and style with premium five- and four-star hotels.” Also, tour groups are “small [with] customised coaches [that have] extra leg room.”
2. Experiential, immersive experiences
Chief among the luxury travel experiences offered by Insight Vacations and Trafalgar is experiential, immersive tourism. That is to say, with “people willing to spend more time and money, [their holiday naturally focuses] on transformative