Exclusive drives CLUB MED sales

CLUB Med’s Exclusive Collection has done “exceptionally well” for the company this year, General Manager Pacific Michelle Davies told Travel Daily.

One of Club Med’s strategic pillars for this year is anchoring the Collection within the travel industry - a strategy which has thus far succeeded, seeing 68% growth versus 2019.

“Even I have been a little bit surprised at just the huge uptake we’ve seen in this category,” Davies admitted.

She said coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been shifts in consumer trends, with affluent customers looking for genuine, unique experiences which offer the feeling of “making up for lost time”.

Davies said this trend is apparent when considering the overall demand for the Exclusive Collection, with affluent travellers willing to spend 23% more than pre-COVID-19.

Luxury travellers are also looking for intimate experiences, Davies said, which made this year the ideal time to relaunch the Exclusive Collection’s 182-stateroom Club Med 2 yacht.

Another trend is seeing luxury travellers wanting to stay longer, fuelled by the multigenerational market, which has been a breadbasket for the Collection.

The average length of stay for this portfolio is longer than the core range, Davies revealed.

Over the next five years, Club Med’s luxury portfolio will be one for high-end travel advisors to watch closely, Davies believes.

“Exclusive Collection as an overall business for us in Club Med has been a long-term strategy,” she said.

“Prior to the pandemic, we had ambitions to grow our Exclusive Collection portfolio to 25 properties by 2025...by adding three to five new resorts or renovated resorts each year.

“It has really slotted in nicely into our strategy for this year.”