8 Shaping the Future of Luxury Travel | Future Traveller Tribes 2030
First class flight bookings, 2011-2015
12 million Bookings
Source: Amadeus Travel Intelligence
Domestic
International
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
10 million
8 million
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
ASIA
MIDDLE EAST
SOUTH AMERICA OCEANIA
NORTH AMERICA EUROPE
AFRICA
First class Taking a look at Amadeus Travel Intelligence data for first class flight bookings from 2011‑2015, we see the marked dominance of North American domestic first class flights over the entire global first class market . This illustrates how US domestic air travel continues to form a very high proportion of all global air travel, as well as the extreme maturity of the US luxury travel market when compared to other regions. The fact that the number of first class flights has increased in the region illustrates how the wealthiest citizens of the world have not changed their travel patterns during the recession, and that the market has remained immune to austerity. Private jets Interestingly, despite a fall in commercial business class bookings, a recent report from jet broker FlyVictor found that private aviation in Western Europe was experiencing a 2.8% year-on-year growth . Although there is an emerging trend for business travellers turning to private aviation, it’s more likely that the slow but steady growth in private jet uptake is down to the leisure travel of ultra-high-net-worth individuals that need an alternative to scheduled short-haul business class flights, which generally don’t cater to their luxury needs.
When travelling commercially within Europe, the ‘step up’ between economy and business class is not really noticeable, and often means little more than a spare seat next to you. As prices for private aviation have started to come down, it makes economic sense for groups of affluent travellers to try a private jet – especially when it means bypassing lengthy airport queues and delays. It’s becoming a more accessible option for travellers to pool together and hire a private jet to travel in relative luxury. Finally, in terms of hotel stays, the luxury hospitality market is enjoying steady growth in volume , with a 7% year-on-year growth from 2014-2015, according to the 2015 Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study from Bain & Company. As expected, North America continues to dominate the global market share, but global growth is fuelled by a thriving tourism industry and the changing lifestyles of new affluent middle classes around the world.
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