Luxury travel event organiser ILTM has revealed the results of a survey designed to take a measure of traveller sentiment in the aftermath of global lockdowns. More than 1,000 private travel planners from around the world were asked about their clients’ habits in a bid to understand how, where and when affluent travellers plan to start travelling again.
Some 64 per cent of the travel planners surveyed said they had made bookings for clients during lockdown and that more than 50 per cent of those bookings were for trips due to be taken before December 2020. The agents surveyed were mostly optimistic about the future, with more than 50 per cent saying they expected the travel industry to rebound within a year.
Greater interest in luxury car travel emerged as a new trend, with 59 per cent of the travel advisors reporting that clients had made enquiries on auto bookings for domestic trips. Another 57 per cent of the planners said clients had asked them to look for private villas as they seek to travel in order to reconnect with family and friends.
ILTM Cannes, the flagship event of the global International Luxury Travel Market portfolio, is going online for 2020, bringing together some of the world’s leading luxury travel buyers and suppliers at a trio of virtual three-day events in three global regions, under the banner of ILTM World Tour: Access All Areas. The first event, for the Asia-Pacific region, will take place from November 17-19; the Europe, Middle East & Africa event will be held from November 23-25; and the Americas will take the spotlight from December 1-3.