Elegant Resorts has shared its top booking trends for Easter and summer 2024, giving luxury travel advisors a steer on what – and where – they should prioritise for the year ahead when it comes to clients’ wishlists.
The operator has identified numerous booking patterns, including a growing demand for bucket list destinations and transformational experiences.
Wellness is also at the forefront of luxury travellers’ mindsets, with many looking to discover innovative ways to optimize their health and extend their lifespan, Elegant Resorts said.
Easter’s Best
Easter bookings overall are up 19% on 2023, with Elegant Resorts naming Spain as its bestselling destination for the upcoming spring break, and the Canary Islands accounting for 75% of all Easter bookings to the country.
Managing director Lisa Fitzell said there was great demand in particular for Tenerife, which has seen an uptick in the level of luxury accommodation available on the island.
Other hotspots to have on agents’ radar should include Barbados, UAE and the Maldives, all of which have retained their position in the top five for Elegant bookings.
Meanwhile, Thailand, which didn’t make the top 10 list last year, has made it to fifth place on Elegant Resorts’ competitive league table for Easter holidays.
Greece Is King
Looking further down the year, Greece continues its reign as a summer favourite, with Elegant Resorts noting a 24% increase in bookings for the country.
Corfu and Crete in particular remain the most popular Greek destinations, followed by Kos and Peloponnese.
Italy, Spain and Portugal are still a big hit with families, while the USA has replaced Barbados as the fifth most popular summer getaway, the report said.
Further flung
With British Airways returning to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in the autumn, Asia is a must-see destination for many luxury travellers this year. A demand for holidays to central and Latin America, as well as Australasia, is also on the rise.
Stay Well
Wellness holidays and longevity escapes are big news for 2024, accounting for a 7% share of Elegant Resorts’ bookings by travellers who are looking to prioritise their health and wellbeing.
With the medical spa market projected to reach $49 billion by 2030 as affluent consumers increasingly seek to extend their lives, demand for treatments like oxygen therapy and anti-ageing IV infusions is fast growing.
Bucket List Bookings
Bucket list destinations have also been a priority for luxury travellers, with Finnish Lapland, French Polynesia and Argentina some of the most popular places to explore this year.
Transformational travel is another trend, with a growing number of guests eager to discover something new or finally complete that ‘once in a lifetime’ journey.
Hot destination
Elegant Resorts also highlighted Sardinia as ’one to watch’ for this year, with the arrival of Belmond and its management of the revamped Hotel Romazzino, reopening in Costa Smeralda in May.
The launch of Belmond Hotel Romazzino will be followed next year by the launch of Rocco Forte Costa Smeralda and Mandarin Oriental and LVMH will open in 2026.
