Luxury travel is in flux...
But the smartest brands will see that as an opportunity!
Luxury has always been intrinsically linked to consumer's quest for status. But the way consumers choose to display status is shifting.
It used to be about the possession of objects. Now, thanks to increasing disposable incomes and the emerging middle-class, so many people have so much. The result? Status has become less about 'what I have' and much more about 'who I am': namely, more ethical, creative, connected, tasteful – the list goes on! – than the masses.
The implications for luxury travel and hospitality brands are vast, as premium consumers intensify their quest to live out and personify these ideals.
External factors can’t be ignored.
It’s how you respond to them that matters.
The world is chanding rapidly. Instability, terrorism, and economic shifts can impact the travel sector at all levels.
But it’s not all bad news. More consumers are becoming aware of the isolating effect of social media ‘echo chambers’. This is accompanied by a growing desire to not only broaden personal horizons, but to find purpose and cultivate empathy for others while doing so. Both of these shifts are prompting many consumers to rethink how – and why – they travel.
That's why smart brands that make the move towards more individualized and transformative forms of luxury consumption will satisfy the increasingly varied, ever-evolving demands of travelers across the globe.
Difficult? Sure! But the following five trends are a good place to start
5 trends transforming THE FUTURE OF LUXURY TRAVEL in 2017 and beyond
Because my self-actualization is faster, smarter and more exclusive than yours.
Welcome to the era of low-key luxury.
Luxury that makes the world a better place.
Luxury when you want it.
5. CUSTOMYZED
Bespoke = brilliant.
THE QUINTESSENTIAL SELF
Because my self-actualization is smarter, faster and more exclusive than yours.
Self-actualization is fine...
...if you're happy with average.
Millions of consumers live in societies of once undreamed affluence. Objects that were rare are now ordinary. The Experience Economy turned amazing vacations into the expected. Digital connection widened the scope of people's lives – the social access, resources and knowledge – beyond recognition.
Sure, life isn't like that for everyone. But even in less affluent societies, it's the direction of travel. Meanwhile, expectations are being set by the latest innovations and the best and most exciting brands worldwide.
So what happens in this landscape? We're all familiar with Maslow: people turn to self-actualization. That is, an endless search to realize the idealized version of themselves that they carry around in their head. And now, they’re looking for brands to help them in that quest.
Improvement and indulgence aren't mutually exclusive.
Why settle for one?
So as the search for status evolves, luxury travel brands should be asking two key questions: how are expectations around wellness evolving? How can we meet those expectations – and help people fulfill their dreams of being better humans?
One place to start? By offering innovative products, services, and experiences that combine supercharged self-actualization with true luxury indulgence. Because for those seeking the QUINTESSENTIAL SELF, the quest for self-improvement doesn’t mean compromising on self-indulgence.
And if the results make for shareable content – 'I'm doing this, you probably haven't heard of it yet' – then that's even better
Global wellness tourism revenues grew 14% between 2013 and 2015, twice as fast as overall tourism. It’s predicted that the category will grow another 37.5%, to USD 808 billion, by 2020.
Global Wellness Institute, November 2016
Maverick Helicopters
Helicopter company offers luxury yoga experience
Self-actualizers do yoga. Status seekers prefer a helicopter. Those in search of the QUINTESSENTIAL SELF? They combine the two.
Maverick Helicopters offers a USD 3,499 yoga package. From December 2016, customers can be flown from Las Vegas to the highest peak in the Valley of Fire State Park for a 75-minute yoga class. The location is only accessible by helicopter, and a maximum of six people can take part in the class. Participants wear wireless headphones during the experience, with a playlist and instructions from a yoga teacher being transmitted throughout the class. The 2.5-hour experience also includes a Champagne toast post-class, and limousine transportation.
The MET
Art museum hosts curated workouts
In a world where status and material wealth are decoupling, pursuing THE QUINTESSENTIAL SELF doesn't have to mean spending a fortune. Rare, even outlandish – and preferably highly shareable – experiences can also elevate self-improvement to a higher plane.
From January 2017, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting The Museum Workout: a 45-minute exercise-based tour. Taking place before regular gallery opening hours, the workout features a route around the museum curated and narrated by illustrator Maira Kalman. The routine's playlist features pop-rock music, and after their workout, participants can enjoy drinks and snacks.
Goop
Lifestyle brand holds first wellness summit
One way to demonstrate your QUINTESSENTIAL SELF commitment? Go to a summit that allows you to learn from the elite, of course...
Luxury lifestyle website goop, headed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, will be holding their first wellness summit (In goop Health) in June 2017. In goop Health will be held for one day in Los Angeles and feature celebrity speakers - including trainer Tracy Anderson, Cameron Diaz and Lena Dunham. Ticketholders will also be able to receive treatments such as a sound bath, aura photography, and an I.V. drip. Tickets range from USD 500 to USD 1,500 per person.
Les Monastere Des Augustines
Not-for-profit wellness hotel named as the number one wellness retreat
Elevate consumers' self-actualization experience with a socially-responsible retreat in a wow-factor setting. What better way to show you're more enlightened than the rest?
In August 2016, the monastery-turned-wellness hotel Les Monastere des Augustines was named by National Geographic as the number one vacation spot for ‘a physical and mental reboot’. Some of the holistic health practices offered by the not-for-profit hotel, which occupies wings of a 17th-century monastery and hospital, include a silent breakfast, yoga, and meditation. The hotel also contains a museum and all proceeds are reinvested in the monastery’s nonprofit.
Four Seasons & Nike
Hotel guests go on personalized runs with Nike coaches
Reminder: the quest for self-improvement doesn’t mean compromising on self-indulgence. Even on vacation. The Four Seasons Hotel Milano's butler service has a wellness twist.
As of April 2017, guests at the Four Seasons Hotel Milano in Italy can go for a run with a professional Nike coach. After guests indicate their fitness goals and health conditions, the coach will tailor the run to meet their specific needs. The coach will also draft a route that includes Milan’s cultural landmarks and scenic attractions. Prices start at EUR 90 per hour.
Infinity House
Virtual reality health retreat offers well-being experiences
For those who think that there is no place for technology in yoga and meditation, think again. Where there is status-acquiring potential, anything goes.
November 2016 saw the launch of Infinity House, a UK-based health and wellness brand offering virtual reality experiences for customers. The virtual retreat offers tutorials, workshops and guidance on activities such as yoga, meditation and nutrition. Users can access pre-recorded content as well as live talks via the immersive 360-degree video experience. Members access the retreat via the Virtual Reality app, with registration commencing in February 2017.
The Last Goodbye
VR film retells Holocaust survivor’s concentration camp experience
Virtual reality has long been touted as the ultimate self-actualization tool, thanks to its ability to totally immerse users in a place or event. Just one QUINTESSENTIAL SELF question for luxury brands to consider: now that consumers can use VR to experience transformative moments without leaving their own home, what does travel have to offer?
The Last Goodbye is a 16-minute-long VR film that retells the story of Holocaust survivor, Pinchas Gutter. The film follows Gutter as he walks around Majdanek, the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland, and explains what he and other prisoners experienced there. The 360-degree immersive video debuted in April 2017 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
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Luxury QUINTESSENTIAL SELFers will seek out rare and shareable experiences or exciting and storied products that supercharge their wellbeing whilst offering a unique travel experience. So start by asking: what aspect of the self will customers trust your brand to help them improve?
When it comes to status...
... nothing is ever simple!
Rising numbers of experienced – sometimes jaded – luxury travelers consider themselves to be ‘post-status’ consumers. They're drawn to brands and products not because of their status value, but for reasons of quality, aesthetic, purpose (see PREMIUM REDEEMED for more on that)…
In this arena, conspicuous, logo-heavy goods that render their owners little more than brand ambassadors have lost their luster.
Now, many luxury travelers are looking for a more subtle indulgence, choosing low-key brands, products and services over showy opulence. This understated luxury functions as a blank canvas, giving the individual the chance to express their identity, rather than one prescribed by a brand.
Look a little closer at 'post-status' obsessions.
You'll see it's still about status.
The quest for subtle indulgence doesn’t stop with products: cars, handbags and more. It’s translating to experiences too.
Having the ‘best’ used to mean seven-star service. Now, status-hungry consumers seek off-the-grid experiences that convey prestige because they are unique and a contrast to traditional luxury. Because, in truth, shunning luxury is really just another status play: ‘As an evolved luxury consumer, I have transcended the ‘traditional’ definitions of extravagance that drives so many of my peers’.
After all, status – and the way consumers choose to display it – is complicated.
81% of millennials said it was important that the logo on their handbag is subtle.
The NPD Group, October 2016
One third of all handbag sales over a 12-month period (up to June 2016) were of handbags that hid logos or had none at all.
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Safestay offers luxury hostel accommodation in landmark buildings across three cities across the UK. In its end-of-year results for 2016, the brand reported a revenue uplift to GBP 7.4 million, an 85% increase from GBP 4 million in 2015. According to the brand, Safestay hostels combine high-end design with the service you would expect of a hotel and the relaxed friendliness of a hostel.
Louis Vuitton
Luxury brand debuts first minimally-branded luggage collection
If your brand wouldn’t know 'subtle' even if it was hit in the face with it, consider partnering with someone who does...
In a July 2016 collaboration with Australian designer Marc Newson, French luxury label Louis Vuitton debuted its first-ever collection of subtly branded luggage; previously, the brand’s travel bags prominently featured the LV logo. The New Rolling Luggage collection merchandise comes in several solid colors and prices start at USD 3,700.
Airstream
Luxury camper features clean, minimalist design
Travel trailer brand Airstream released the 2017 Airstream Basecamp, a luxury camper featuring ‘clean design’, in Q1. The RV model is the smallest and one of the most lightweight the company has created, and the interiors are available in three subtle tones. Features include Bluetooth-powered colored speakers, USB ports, a pull-out ‘visor’ for shade, and wraparound windows. The 2017 Basecamp retails from USD 35,900.
Naadam Cashmere
Affordable luxury knitwear brand has ethical production process
It may seem counterintuitive, but tapping into this trend means telling the world exactly what's stripped back about your product, service or campaign.
US-based Naadam Cashmere are an ethical knitwear brand who, according to founder and CEO Matt Scanlan, ‘offer Loro Piana quality at J. Crew prices’. Naadam Cashmere purchases fibers directly from herders in Mongolia, and works with nonprofits to provide veterinary care to goats. In Italy, where the fiber is spun into yarn, the company ensures that the process involves no ecological damage by using clean energy. In Q1 2017, the brand launched The Studio by Naadam, a wholesale collection, priced from USD 175 to USD 450 and available at retailers including Steven Alan and Nordstrom.
Everlane
USD 145 heels have a 15,000-person waitlist
Exclusive doesn't always come with a hefty price tag...
In April 2017, San Francisco-based apparel brand Everlane announced that, one week after launching, the brand’s ‘Day Heel’ had amassed a 15,000-person waitlist and was backordered until the beginning of May. The USD 145 heels are made from Italian leather and have a rounded toe, a cushioned insole, a low block heel and an elastic back. According to the brand, they’re ‘a heel you can walk in. All. Damn. Day.’
Oceangate
Passengers forgo luxury in USD 140,000 Titanic exploration trip
Private ocean research company OceanGate will hold the first Titanic Survey Expedition, a submarine mission to study the Titanic wreckage, in 2018. Fifty-four passengers (as of April 2017) have paid USD 140,000 each to be a part of the weeklong mission, which CEO Stockton Rush referred to as 'not a luxury trip', off the Newfoundland coast. Passengers had to apply to participate, and several were rejected for expecting a luxurious trip. Participants will need to go through helicopter underwater egress training in case of a helicopter crash, and will be completing basic tasks (such as assembling batteries) to assist the crew when they are not exploring the wreckage.
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NO FRILLS CHIC is luxury re-imagined for post-status consumers. So consider how you can create products, services and experiences that communicate the values of the consumer, rather than the brand.
Consumers are trapped in a guilt spiral...
And they're looking for brands to help alleviate it.
Thanks to an ever-greater awareness of the impact of their actions, many travelers feel increasingly guilty about the negative impact their consumption has on the environment, society and their health. The result? A growing desire for indulgence without the guilt.
Rising transparency means it’s now almost impossible for any individual to claim ignorance about the implications of their consumption. Customers are better informed than ever before, and they’re not afraid to call out brands who don’t live up to their expected standards.
At the same time, a host of companies (think Patagonia, Tesla and others) highlighted the deeply flawed nature of many conventional products and brands, whilst proving that purpose and profit can be compatible.
Cue the rising demand for brands that can combine luxury and a zeal to make the world better. That means luxe sunglasses on a geopolitical mission, jewels out to disrupt an often-harmful industry, luxury resorts with a social mission, and more…
Status used to be about how much money you made.
Now, it's about how much you can give away.
One other shift to note here? The way we perceive billionaires.
Sure, Mark Zuckerberg (to choose just one example) has changed the world. But today, his personal status story doesn't just center on how he made his money, but how he's giving almost all of it away. For the ultra-ultra rich, philanthropy is the status story.
And the more money billionaires give away, the more consumers will question big brands that place stakeholders before society. Increasing numbers now look for big brands – with their global reach, nearly-unmatched resources and internal expertise – to solve (or at least tackle) the challenges that no one else can, and build a better world!
Well, we didn’t say the road to REDEMPTION would be easy – but it will be worthwhile!
53% of global consumers actively avoid consuming from companies that have a negative environmental or social impact. 73% of consumers think brands have a responsibility to do more than simply generate profit.
Havas, February 2016
SIGN OF THE TIMES
The United Nations declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, with a focus on how tourism is affected by climate change and how emissions from the sector can be curbed. The initiative aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behavior towards a more sustainable tourism sector. The UN's World Tourism Organization estimates that tourism is responsible for about 5% of global CO2 emissions.
Nekupe Sporting Resort and Retreat
Nonprofit opens luxury resort to help local communities benefit from the country’s travel industry
Ensure philanthropy is an integral part of your brand to give consumers that feel-good factor with minimum effort.
November 2016 saw the opening of Nekupe Sporting Resort and Retreat. Set in Nicaragua’s rural countryside, the luxury resort has a lavish interior and offers guests activities that include sandboarding down an active volcano and horseback riding in the 1800 acres of land that the owners reforested after being destroyed by slash-and-burn agriculture. Built by the founders of the American Nicaraguan Foundation, the aim of the hotel is to educate visitors about the nonprofit’s goals to improve local employment opportunities, sustainable farming and environmental stewardship.
Diamond Foundry
Tech CEOs and Hollywood actors invest in lab-grown diamond startup
Could a startup more perfectly encapsulate the shifting nature of luxury? (And of course they’re based in San Francisco.)
San Francisco-based Diamond Foundry uses a high-energy plasma field to create diamonds that are atomically identical to those found in nature. Previously operating in stealth mode, the company launched publicly in December 2015 when actor Leonardo DiCaprio announced his participation in a funding round that also included Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams. The startup says they provide an ethical alternative to mining for diamonds, which is often associated with negative social and environmental impacts.
Salt & Straw
Artisanal ice cream made with waste products
Embracing this trend doesn't always mean tackling complex social or environmental issues. You can grab consumers' attention by making small, positive changes to your internal culture or production process, too.
March 2016 saw Portland's Salt & Straw ice cream brand announce a new flavor, made with food which would otherwise be thrown away. The Rum Spices and Apple Butter ice cream is made with spices sourced from the East Side Distillery, which uses cinnamon, vanilla and peppercorns to steep its rum. Also sourced locally, the apples used for the ice cream are bruised and would otherwise have been trashed.
Palestyle
Luxury handbag line benefits refugee women
Consumers increasingly look to brands to step in during a crisis and offer a positive contribution to social issues.
Relaunched in January 2017, Palestyle is a luxury accessories line offering purses embellished with embroidery which is hand-sewn in refugee camps in Jordan. The UAE-based brand has all of its leather purses produced in specialist Italian factories, with embroidery panels created by women living in Jordanian refugee camps. Purses also feature traditional Arabic calligraphy and crystal embellishments.
Dear Leader
Sunglasses brand undermines political regime
How about this for ultimate PREMIUM REDEMPTION? A brand built entirely around a truly world-changing goal.
Launched in Copenhagen in June 2016, Dear Leader is a sunglasses brand with a distinct political aim. Each sale generates financial support for organizations working actively inside North Korea to bring down the regime. Available from EUR 95, shipping is free on all orders within Denmark, and on orders over EUR 250 worldwide.
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The key question to ask during your team brainstorm: where in our business do we apply this trend? Take inspiration from Palestyle and Salt & Straw, and develop ethical / sustainable products? Rethink your underused assets and repurpose them for good? Or could this trend lead to an entirely new business concept? After all, Dear Leader is built around a mission to bring down the North Korean regime. Be bold!
The on-demand economy has permanently rewired expectations.
Champagne in 20 minutes? Pass the phone!
On-demand services have always been part of the luxury experience. But then a wave of on-demand startups made everything – from laundry services to taxis to manicures – available to the masses. Now, on-demand and access economies are now the way of life for millions of ‘ordinary’ consumers across the globe. So what next for affluent travelers, always seeking to distinguish themselves from the masses?
The very real benefits that on-demand and access bring – freedom from the hassle of ownership, instant gratification, and more – are universal. Luxury consumers aren't about to set themselves apart by opting out of that.
Instead, these consumers will push their on-demand mindset to new highs, and into entirely new domains of consumerism. They’ll move beyond on-demand functionality and towards on-demand EXTRAVAGANCE.
40% of global spend on luxury goods comes from purchases made while traveling internationally.
Deloitte, August 2016
SIGN OF THE TIMES
In February 2017, Tommy Hilfiger showcased the brand’s latest fashion collection at a music festival-themed event in LA. Items from the collection were available to purchase immediately online after the event; according to the brand, sales on tommy.com increased by more than 150% versus September, when the previous show was hosted in New York. Hilfiger also claimed there had been double-digit year-over-year growth across the women’s business globally for the second season in a row.
Recharge
On-demand platform lets customers book luxe hotel rooms by the minute
Recharge, an app allowing users to reserve luxury hotel rooms by the minute, made an NYC debut in April 2017. Users pay only for the amount of time they need (without having to book for an entire night’s stay), and the on-demand platform enables hotels to generate revenue from rooms during times (particularly the daytime) when they aren’t typically in use. As of April 2017, Recharge customers can access 16 NYC hotels, including the W New York, The Pierre, and The Knickerbocker. Prices range from USD .66 to USD 3 per minute.
Deliveroo
Food delivery app offers exclusive champagne service
If anyone can get their favorite takeaway delivered in 20 minutes, luxury consumers expect the same quick delivery service for luxury products.
In December 2016, Deliveroo brokered a partnership with Veuve Clicquot to include champagne as part of its food delivery options. Available to London addresses only, the French champagne can either be chilled or at room temperature, and bottles arrive gift wrapped. Prices start at GBP 52 for Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut and delivery to the door is facilitated within 20 minutes.
Delta & Blade
On-demand helicopter service partners with airline
If you thought it couldn't get any more EXTRAVAGANCE ON DEMAND than champagne at the touch of a button, read on.
April 2017 saw on-demand helicopter service Blade partner with Delta Air Lines to reduce overall travel time. After a flight lands at New York City’s JFK airport, the airline’s Elite Service team transports passengers and their luggage directly to a helicopter. The service then flies travellers to one of Blade’s lounges in Manhattan in less than 10 minutes.
Vestiaire Collective
Luxury designer fashion loaned to hotel guests
Think about when - and where! - the urge for EXTRAVAGANCE might strike...
The Vintage Fashion Trunk is the result of a partnership between luxury vintage fashion etailer Vestiaire Collective and The Berkeley hotel. Launched in July 2016, the service enables guests of the luxury London hotel to borrow vintage designer items from Vestiaire Collective while they're staying, free of charge. Those staying in a suite at The Berkeley can telephone the concierge and ask for the Vintage Fashion Trunk, with items on offer including Chanel purses, Dior earrings and Hermès silk scarves – dating from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Lincoln
Automaker builds app for on-demand chauffeurs
Through automaker Lincoln’s Lincoln Chauffeur app, the company’s customers can receive a professional driver’s services on-demand. Users supply their own cars and can request vetted Lincoln chauffeurs for a variety of tasks, such as buying groceries or refueling the car. The app charges USD 30 per hour and each new user receives eight free hours of service. Lincoln Chauffeur was debuted as a pilot program in April 2017 in Miami, and will expand to San Diego.
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Smartphone-fueled on-demand services have rewired the expectations of customers. And there are endless opportunities for playful, luxury approaches to that trend – see London cocktail bar Bob Bob Ricard's now famous table-side 'Press for Champagne' buttons (pictured). But for luxury travel brands seeking to get ahead of the on-demand curve? Think beyond speedy delivery times and as-you-need-it room rentals. Instead, take inspiration from PREMIUM REDEEMED, and start thinking about ethical on-demand luxe services.
I'm an individual.
So treat me like one!
Luxury travelers have always sought deeper and more authentic connections to the places they visit. Customized and co-created experiences gave them cachet-building stories to tell, but – crucially – helped them to escape the masses.
But for growing numbers of consumers, cachet goes far beyond accumulating status stories. Now, many luxury travelers want to construct experiences that align with their unique interests, needs and values. They are eschewing a ‘one size fits all’ approach for trips that are imbued with meaning and allow them to tell the world who they are and what they stand for.
And as the old demographic models – which sought to predict consumer behaviors based on age, gender, location, income bracket and more – lose their power and consumers embrace lifestyles and attitudes of their own choosing, that desire will only increase.
Customization expectations are set online...
Now, they're transferring to the 'real world'.
Yes, ‘bespoke’ is a luxury standard. But now, expectations around personalization are constantly being heightened by the online experience, where everything from music to advertising can be tailored to individual preferences and interests.
Just one example of that? Spotify’s Discover Weekly, launched in July 2015, is an algorithm-powered weekly playlist tuned to the tastes of each individual listener. In May 2016, the brand announced that Discover Weekly had been used by 40 million users, an audience that has collectively streamed over 5 billion tracks. According to many users, Weekly Playlist – the brand’s follow-up product – has an uncanny understanding of their music taste.
It doesn’t stop with algorithms: a raft of new, increasingly affordable technologies (think facial recognition, biometric sensing and more) are taking decisions out of the process, allowing consumers to personalize based on deeper, often subconscious, aspects of their personalities whilst also introducing the idea that brands can discern things about consumers’ taste and personality that they didn’t yet realize themselves.
Nearly 70% of Millennials want 'a personalized travel experience' on their vacations.
AMEX, August 2016
Blink
Luxury travel company creates customized pop-up hotels
Luxury travelers on a constant quest for discovery want to do things that no one else has done before and will never do again. Pop-up hotels are one way to satisfy that expectation!
December 2016 saw UK-based Black Tomato unveil a bespoke travel service called Blink. The luxury travel company is offering personalized pop-up holiday experiences in rare and remote locations around the world. Each trip is designed to be entirely unique, with examples including temporary camps set up in the Moroccan desert, Bolivian salt flats or the Andes. Prices range from GBP 8,800 per person up to GBP 23,800 according to the type of vacation.
Zoku
Hotel concept offers hybrid live-work spaces
May 2015 saw Amsterdam-based Zoku announce the launch of a new hotel concept featuring convertible home and work spaces. The lofts are aimed at business travelers seeking compact hybrid-living, and each private space is customizable, designed around a table, kitchen, desk, storage and sleeping space. Guests can also personalize their lofts with art works from a lending gallery. Public spaces include open-plan communal living and a 24-hour store.
Journy
Mobile app generates personalized travel itineraries
Journy is a free app offering a concierge-style service helping travelers create their perfect trip. Available to download from August 2016, the US-created app presents its users with a questionnaire on their tastes and preferences, allowing Journy staff to create a personalized itinerary for their trip – with questions on favorite activities and types of restaurants, for example. Using local experts and tastemakers, Journy then generates a tailored itinerary, making restaurant reservations and booking activities when necessary. The service starts at USD 15 per day.
Cathay Pacific
Airline creates personalized art
Cathay Pacific has thanked its one million loyalty program members with personalized birthday gifts. January 2017 saw the Hong Kong-based airline send members artwork based on flight maps showing their travels for the past year, created in the brand's signature colors. The digital artworks could be printed out and framed, and people could also view a video showing their travels mapped with digital brushstrokes.
Singapore Tourism Board
Travel guide created by analyzing brain waves
In April 2017, the Singapore Tourism Board measured people’s brainwaves to create a travel guide based on emotions. Headsets worn by families on vacation in Singapore recorded their emotional responses to 20 different activities using electroencephalography. Scientists compared this data to information the family wrote down in a personality questionnaire to see how different experiences lead to different emotions. The Board hopes to develop this research further to offer tailor-made travel itineraries to future tourists.
Travel Unwrapped
Travel itinerary inspired by travelers' DNA
Take CUSTOMYZED to the next level. Allow consumers to craft travel stories that are uniquely ‘theirs’ and give them an opportunity to learn more about their identity and heritage - increasingly important as travelers seek transformative experiences that expand their worldview.
Q3 2016 saw London-based Travel Unwrapped launch DNA Unwrapped: a travel itinerary inspired by travelers’ unique DNA. Users take a DNA test (a cheek swab that’s sent by post to a partner lab) to discover family ancestry. Based on the test, Travel Unwrapped helps travellers build an itinerary inspired by their genetic makeup, with the hope that they will chose to broaden their travel horizons.
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When it comes to CUSTOMYZED products and services, the possibilities are endless. Think about customized solutions that save the user time (as Journy does) or use technology to provide surprising perks (see Cathay Pacific for inspiration). But don’t stop there! Ask how you can shape experiences around travelers’ emotions and help them discover new aspects of their own personality in the process. Not only will they appreciate the improved service, but it will also tap into the ever-present desire that travel provide a personal transformative experience, and one that’s uniquely theirs.
Knowing about trends is just the tip of the iceberg.
It's what you do with the insights that counts…
To help you develop and launch innovations that can keep you ahead of customers’ accelerating expectations, use the Consumer Trend Canvas (CTC), a simple but powerful tool that walks you through the process of trend-driven innovation from analysis to application.
To get started, download a completed CTC for PREMIUM REDEEMED. But remember, you can use this tool to unpack any trend.
Gather your team, think, discuss, ideate and execute. What are you waiting for?