I’m at the moment attending TBEX Europe 2023 (a convention for journey bloggers and content material creators) in Kalamata, Greece, and have simply been on the Luxurious Tourism Panel speaking about ‘Attracting the luxurious traveller’, an occasion chaired by Anton Diaz with fellow panellists Shouq AlShirazi and Christos Balogiannis. For reference for anybody attending (and certainly anybody who wasn’t there however is !), the next weblog publish covers among the matters we mentioned, and among the solutions I gave (and perhaps even raises some factors that I didn’t get to make in our 50-minute panel!).
How do you attain luxurious travellers?
Earlier than answering this query, we have to recognise there are numerous various kinds of luxurious traveller and it’s not essentially a ‘one dimension matches all’ reply to the query. There are various completely different aspects to luxurious journey. It’s subsequently essential to know who your audience is, what they’re eager about, and what motivates them to journey.
However with that stated, after all, there’s the mainstream conventional media – the nationwide press and luxurious journey print magazines: Conde Nast Traveller, Journey + Leisure, and so forth, in addition to different area of interest print publications (eg. Yachting, Golf Journal) or extra excessive finish publications that you just won’t encounter a lot (eg. Elite Traveler which is typically obtainable on personal jets).
While print protection is nice, it received’t come as a shock to those who I favour on-line advertising and marketing, and most print publications these days embrace on-line media additionally. I feel you’ll be able to higher tailor your attain on-line, and get significantly better trackable worth. Your personal web site needs to be your first port of name in terms of reaching luxurious travellers however you’ll be able to forged the online wider by the varied social media channels. I personally favour Fb and Twitter for my readers, however something that’s visible (and helps with that preliminary eye-catching ‘hook’) and reaches your goal market ought to serve you properly if you happen to make investments time in your viewers.
If your individual web site or social channels aren’t that properly established, or if you wish to look past the attain of your individual viewers, then collaborations with area of interest influencers whose focus in on excessive finish journey (and whose viewers consists of luxurious travellers) could be useful and allow you to increase your attain to new potential clients.
Utilizing paid promoting channels, corresponding to Google AdWords, to focus on luxurious vacationers who’re looking for high-end experiences could be rewarding. The overall sale worth of a luxurious vacation is invariably excessive so it’s value experimenting on this space to search out out what works for you.
Attending luxurious journey occasions also needs to not be ignored. There are various of them and, while they don’t seem to be often geared in direction of shoppers, they however present an amazing alternative to community inside the business and construct long-lasting relationships, be taught new issues and hold up to the mark with adjustments within the business.
Final however under no circumstances least, phrase of mouth – presumably essentially the most highly effective advertising and marketing instrument we’ve got at our disposal – shouldn’t be under-estimated. Luxurious travellers will typically depend on suggestions from family and friends, in addition to utilise on-line opinions to make journey selections, so it’s crucial within the luxurious journey business to surpass all expectations so as to make sure you generate the correct outcomes. Encouraging glad purchasers to share their optimistic experiences and testimonials on-line is sonething you can too do, however it must be achieved with sensitivity.
What kind of media content material most appeals to luxurious travellers?
I might say it relies upon at what stage of the reserving journey they’re eager about. If they’re simply in search of inspiration, then the previous adage of ‘an image says a thousand phrases’ is one which springs to thoughts. And I’ve even heard individuals declare that if an image says a thousand phrases, then a video says a million (based mostly, I feel, on a one minute video shot at 30 frames per second which, in idea, would imply 1.8 million phrases, if one image is one thousand!). However you get the purpose… visible content material is essential to inspiring individuals. And with luxurious journey, the standard of this visible content material is actually, actually essential. That little snapshot or taster that you just give individuals wants to offer an air of exclusivity if you need it to attraction to luxurious travellers.
However while top quality images and brief movies are essential for that preliminary ‘kerb attraction’ to seize the eye of luxurious travellers, I might argue that longer kind content material (eg. articles, weblog posts, longer movies and so forth) is a vital step in direction of changing that preliminary curiosity right into a reserving.
Luxurious travellers will invariably need extra element upon getting whet their urge for food for a visit. This longer kind content material could be in a storytelling kind or a extra informational model, and it needs to be borne in thoughts that what appeals will once more differ from one luxurious traveller to a different. Some is perhaps eager about wellbeing and spas, others in tradition, others in procuring, and so forth. Within the case of A Luxurious Journey Weblog, lodging (not simply resorts, but in addition excessive finish unique use properties), locations and meals all characteristic very strongly.
What do luxurious travellers search for in a vacation spot?
Luxurious vacationers are in search of distinctive, unique and personalised journey experiences, however once more there could be variations from one luxurious traveller to a different. Take someplace like Marbella in Andalusia, as an example – it’s a spot the place celebrities and luxurious travellers not solely search exclusivity, however in addition they wish to be seen. It’s a type of locations the place picture is every part and the place some – notably celebrities – will typically need to indulge within the glamour and extravagance of all of it, pleased to be seen within the metropolis’s key places. Distinction that with close by Sotogrande which is equally unique, if no more so, however the place privateness is paramount, and folks don’t need to be seen. These are two very unique locations which can be very shut to 1 one other, that each attraction to luxurious travellers, however every to a really completely different kind of excessive finish traveller.
Equally, the likes and dislikes of luxurious travellers will differ in different facets. While some may crave a busy and vibrant metropolis expertise, others may go for one thing that’s extra off the crushed path, maybe a vacation spot wealthy in pure scenic magnificence that permits them to attach with nature and benefit from the outdoor.
Some issues that luxurious travellers search can be frequent to all, nevertheless – issues like luxurious lodging and facilities, excessive finish gastronomy, security and safety, and – maybe most of all – impeccable service.
What do luxurious travellers need to keep away from?
It goes with out saying that luxurious travellers will need to keep away from poor service and high quality. They need to keep away from something that falls wanting their expectations, corresponding to below-par lodging, meals or service. In addition they need to keep away from pointless inconvenience and problem. Lengthy queues, delays and poor service aren’t the area of the luxurious traveller. Luxurious travellers will invariably be pleased to pay a premium to make sure a greater general expertise.
Briefly, luxurious travellers will need to keep away from what everybody else is doing. Meaning they have a tendency to keep away from crowds and mass tourism, in favour of a extra tailor-made and personalised expertise. In addition they are inclined to keep away from locations that is perhaps thought of unsafe, whether or not that be on account of political instability, excessive crime charges or another motive.
And while luxurious travellers usually don’t thoughts paying extra for a greater expertise, most are savvy sufficient to understand when they’re being unreasonably overcharged. The savvy luxurious traveller nonetheless desires to keep away from unreasonable prices and expects transparency and worth for his or her cash.
What has been the simplest content material you have got seen to draw luxurious travellers?
I feel it’s essential to emphasize that step one in attracting luxurious travellers is to get your product proper. Whether or not you’re a luxurious resort, a luxurious tour operator, a personal jet dealer or a luxurious yacht constitution firm, a very powerful factor you are able to do is try to achieve the best attainable requirements and ranges of service. When you get this proper, then every part else tends to fall into place far more simply. With the correct product, all of the exhausting work is completed for you – the optimistic opinions are inclined to comply with as long as requirements are maintained.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
If you’re studying this text wherever aside from on A Luxurious Journey Weblog, then the probabilities are that this content material has been stolen with out permission.
Please make a remark of the net tackle above and make contact with A Luxurious Journey Weblog to advise them of this challenge.
Thanks on your assist in combatting content material theft.
I do know this from first-hand expertise – we personal a separate small enterprise that specialises in trip rental lodging the place we dwell. In the mean time, it is only one luxurious riverside house, however we don’t take what we provide as a right. We’re all the time striving to supply our visitors the very best expertise. Opinions are essential to us – we’re at the moment 5/5 on each Airbnb and Tripadvisor, and 9.8 out of 10 on Reserving (OK, in order that imperfection niggles just a little!), however we by no means take this as a right. This 12 months we re-furbished the property to make sure we proceed to supply the best requirements – I imagine you’ll be able to by no means be complacent about your product and should all the time try for the perfect to fulfill the luxurious traveller.
Distinction this with a excessive finish restaurant on the Cote d’Azur that I used to be lately requested to assessment. While it had loads of 5-star opinions, it additionally had loads of 1-star opinions and, once I delved deeper, frequent issues gave the impression to be one or two overly-aggressive workers, an inconsistent and poorly-communicated costume code (leading to individuals being turned away on the door) and diners not being given enough time to take pleasure in their meals, with the restaurant hurrying visitors up so as to attempt to squeeze in a further sitting. While some facets of the product on this occasion are clearly glorious, it was evident that there are nonetheless a number of areas that require enchancment.
With the product proper, the duty actually turns into one among consciousness constructing. I don’t suppose you should go for the ‘exhausting promote’ strategy in terms of luxurious journey. Gentle promoting, by slowly constructing and producing consciousness, is all that’s required in case your product is a sturdy one which stands up for itself. Casting the online additional and gaining extra publicity to a wider viewers, with none exhausting promote ways, can be rewarded with extra gross sales, notably as soon as on-line opinions and word-of-mouth gathers tempo.
An previous however nice instance of efficient content material that labored properly by way of interesting to luxurious travellers was Tourism Queenland’s ‘The Greatest Job within the World’ marketing campaign. Extremely, it was stated to generate 46,000 mainstream media tales, 230,000 mentions in blogs and vlogs, and even resulted in a BBC documentary, all of the whereas inspiring tens of millions of individuals to fall in love with Hamilton Island, a vacation spot which has since attracted A-listers corresponding to Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio.
What do you do in a different way to draw luxurious travellers?
One of many issues that we do on A Luxurious Journey Weblog that may be a little completely different is that we enable particular person luxurious journey companies to have their very own area on the positioning, which they’ll use to share editorial content material as a method of producing consciousness for their very own companies. They don’t these accounts to instantly promote, however fairly to encourage would-be travellers and achieve a following within the course of.
An ideal instance of that is the account for Calvin Cottar, the Proprietor of Cottar’s Nineteen Twenties Safaris; Calvin makes use of A Luxurious Journey Weblog as a automobile to commonly share content material about safaris in Africa, notably Kenya the place he has his personal camp. He has written items on taking youngsters on a household safari to Kenya, packing suggestions on your first African safari and the place and when to witness the Nice Wildebeest Migration, to offer just some examples.
One other instance is the account for Sandra Roig, Advertising Supervisor for AB Condo Barcelona, a rental company providing greater than a thousand properties throughout town, some very luxurious. Somewhat that simply writing about rental properties (not so thrilling), Sandra offers genuinely helpful content material for guests to town, protecting every part from the most effective locations to have brunch, the place to lease luxurious automobiles, and the most effective Michelin-starred eating places in Barcelona. She has written a couple of hundred articles about Barcelona for A Luxurious Journey Weblog, and little question loved the success of many bookings just by offering in depth and helpful journey recommendation.
