Travel is all about experience

October 2008

Travelers are looking for authentic experiences and are prepared to pay big money for them, delegates at the ABTA Travel Convention (6-8 October 2008) were told. Martin Lomax, the business development director at Gold Medal Travel, said nearly 50 per cent of people agreed with the following statement about luxury holidays: "These holidays are all about the experience." Speaking in a breakout session entitled 'Selling Luxury', he added: "Luxury is now about authenticity and the enhanced experience and you must differentiate your product."

During the economic slowdown people are cutting back on the number of holidays they are taking this year. With less trips a year travelers focus much more on the experience, while searching for a destination. Advantage chief executive John McEwan specialized in luxury travel said "Ten years ago, agents were generalists competing on price, but now we are identifying areas where they can grow." Travel content on website of airlines, hotels and tour operators should therefore focus much more on the expected experience than before, and destinations, tour operators and airlines should work together while creating and communicating travel experiences. Every city has many faces. There is a London for tourists who like to shop, there is a London for theatergoers, there is London for architect lovers and museum visitors but there is also a London for people who like to enjoy the nightlife.