Luxury family travel on the rise
Special ATM 2015 seminar sessions will evaluate impact and value of the local and global family travel market as 25 per cent of MENA residents opt for luxury accommodation and 20 per cent choose to fly first or business for leisure.
The number of wealthy families making travel a highspend priority is on the rise, and this will be a major focus of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2015 seminar series as the region’s inbound and outbound travel professionals look to capitalise on this niche market opportunity. According to the latest YouGov report, the top three luxury holiday destinations for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) residents are the UAE (14 per cent), Italy (10 per cent) and Turkey (five per cent). Topend hotels look set to profit from this trend with over a third of MENA residents usually staying in luxury hotels when traveling for leisure.
Looking at a region-wide breakdown, around one-quarter of GCC residents (27 per cent) and Levant residents (23 per cent) stay in luxury hotels compared to 17 per cent of North African residents. Meanwhile, in terms of specific countries, one-third of Bahrain residents (34 per cent) usually stay in luxury hotels – the highest percentage in the entire MENA region.
“This trend for luxury family travel offers opportunities for tour operators to create tailormade packages that take into account not only family needs, but also the cultural considerations unique to the MENA region, and this opens up tremendous marketing opportunities. Luxury, and family luxury travel in particular, is a trend to watch, and one that will be covered extensively at this year’s show,” says Nadege Noblet, Exhibition Manager, Arabian Travel Market.
“Over half of MENA residents arrange all aspects of family travel themselves, yet 72 per cent of MENA residents would book an all-inclusive luxury package if they were available. This is a phenomenon that has not as yet manifested itself in the GCC, apart from the Rixos Bab Al Bahr in Ras Al Khaimah; although it has long been a cost-friendly family option in Egypt’s key coastal destinations,” she adds.
Two ILTM@ATM seminar sessions will look at various aspects of luxury travel: “Biting into Gourmet Travel” and “Luxury Family Travel”. Moderated by Destinations of the World News and featuring a panel of luxury travel specialists, the Luxury Family Travel seminar will take place on May 6 at the Visa sponsored Seminar Theatre. Here they will pinpoint some of the key trends of today’s affluent families. The panel discussion will wrap with an evaluation of the impact and value of the local and global family travel market within the overarching domestic and international luxury tourism industries.