Travel is back and showing no signs of slowing down—on the contrary, Cruise Planners saw purchases jump up 15 percent in 2022 versus the 2019 banner year, and they’re looking ahead to see what’s coming up for 2023.
This year’s Wave Season is seeing some major trends—particularly in the luxury travel arena, a global segment that’s on track to grow 11 percent in the next four years.
“We know 2023 is the “Year of Travel” just by looking at the incredible number of sales we have on the books and it is not even a month into the new year,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners, in a press statement. “Luxury is at the top of the list and clients want to make memories and are sparing no expense to create them with loved ones.”
And within luxury travel, the luxury cruise segment is seeing growth in several areas, but especially in destinations such as European rivers, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, Antarctica, and the Africa/Middle East/India trifecta. Other top destinations that your clients will be asking for are Alaska, the Caribbean, and Europe, all of which are trending in the double digits higher than they were in 2019.
Cruise Planners Finds Trends Beyond Destinations
According to Cruise Planners, other areas of interest for travelers this year are sustainable, eco-friendly options for vacations; an increase in domestic travel due to high airfares; the continued growth of remote work, including a rise in so-called “digital nomad” travel; more multi-gen travel with extended families maximizing their time together—Cruise Planners mention Caribbean cruises and all-inclusive vacations in Mexico as good options for this segment—; more personalization and customization of experiences, from custom tours to personalized vacation packages; and finally, they’re seeing a jump in interest in wellness vacations, which is also seeing growth in the double digits from now through 2025. To that point, there’s been an increase in wellness programs in hotels around the world as they seek to hop on that trend.
For more information, visit cruiseplanners.com.
