Top Travel Trends Influence A&K’s Luxury Lineup

Perhaps no brand is more associated with luxury travel than the 55-year old operator Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). A&K has always noted its clients’ penchant for customizing classic itineraries. To that end, the company recently launched Luxury Tailor Made Travel in Europe, featuring iconic sites and places that don’t readily appear on everyone’s radar.

“It was really travel advisors who asked us to create regional brochures with examples of recommended routings, along with ideas to customize a holiday, as a way to talk through the possibilities with prospective clients,” said A&K spokesperson Jean Lasser.

Expedition Cruises, for example, expands beyond adventurous destinations like Antarctica and brings that same sense of adventure to classic sights like Greece. The Limited Edition Marco Polo Journeys are tours of no more than 18 participants to off the beaten track sites in already exotic locales such as Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia and Vietnam, but also Rio’s Carnival and London’s Hampton Court Flower Show.

TMR interviewed A&K’s VP of expedition cruising Bob Simpson and product manager Laurance Gosset-Lukaszczyk about the trends influencing new products and what clients are looking for most. (For ease of reading, their answers have been combined.)

How do you recognize trends that will shape new products?
It starts with knowing our clients and our demographics. Trends work in two ways: They can be client-driven, in terms of what they are looking for, or the product can shape and drive the trends.

Look at how awareness of Antarctica exploded over the past 15 years. Because it was such a finite product, in 1998 clients tended to be those with specific interests such as ornithology or geology, those who had a pre-disposition to Antarctica or trophy travelers who had already been everywhere and Antarctica was next.

The rising tide of travel to Antarctica was a byproduct of the marketing power of the large cruise ships that began to travel there during the past 15 years. That really infused curiosity and awareness into the market. That product shaped the next trend: smaller cruise ships that allowed people to land and experience Antarctica that way.

What trends are you seeing develop for the next three years?
The classics are coming back. We see renewed demand for classic destinations – the Mediterranean, Italy, Greece and Turkey, well-trodden historic places. There’s an urge to see them in a different way, as we have done in Japan with specific designed itineraries that include hands-on experiences, such as cooking, eating or tea with locals.

We are also aware of the political [issues] in some of these places, so delivering a sense of being well-handled, in good hands and confidence goes hand in hand with developing such programs.

What is the feature, element or component clients yearn for most on luxury trips?
To my chagrin, even in Antarctica clients want wi-fi all the time; it has increasingly become one of the most important aspects of an offer. It is understandable, however, when you look at the demographics of the luxury market. It used to be dominated by retirees with disposable income but it has shifted to younger people who are still working or have businesses and obligations they need to remain in contact with.

How can you cope with the challenge of connectivity on the seas or in remote places?
We are working with Ponant about investing in hardware and additional technical capabilities to improve access and address the need to be connected. Clients also want to stay connected socially and post pictures immediately, which is a trend that benefits us as intangible marketing.

What is the biggest change in the use of travel agents by A&K customers?
With the level of complexity inherent in luxury products, agents provide a huge value, and the younger generation is in tune with this. The big change is this: The mindset of the younger demographic is that they want someone to take care of it for them, and they will outsource that part of it. They do not want to take the time, and they want to make sure they are getting guidance.

Because there has been so much growth in luxury inventory, agents are the only brokers who know the industry and the products and how to match client with product.