Luxury Travel Special: Shanghai set to host luxury travel professionals

While the Asia luxury travel market has drawn global attention, local travel agencies and hotels are striving to keep the business domestic.

To help understand the Asia market better, the eighth edition of International Luxury Travel Market Asia will be held in Shanghai in June.

About 550 international luxury travel suppliers will meet with 550 elite buyers and agents in more than 26,000 pre-scheduled, mutually matched meetings.

"The Asia products want the Asian travelers to stay close, while the international products, such as all the hotels in the US and Europe, do want Asian travelers as well because of their wealth," said Alison Gilmore, exhibition director at ILTM.

According to the organization, the number of high net worth individuals in the Asia-Pacific region is set to rise by 88 percent over the next decade, a growth rate matched only by Latin America.

By 2030, 49 percent of all global passenger traffic will be within the Asia-Pacific or between the region and the rest of the world, with India, China and Indonesia dominating the region's travel spending.

"The pace of the growth in this region is remarkable, not just in the numbers that are able to travel, but also in the numbers that want to travel," said Gilmore. "Where they want to go and what they want to experience is the key question.

"Asian travelers want to go further and have the global experiences."

Gilmore's profile of the new Asian travelers favors oversea products.

"The advantage of Asia products is that they have a better understanding of their own customers, but they are growing too quickly and need to slow down."

Gilmore said that the shortage of qualified staff will limit the development of Asian luxury industry. Actually the problem has already emerged.

Some hotels in Asia even had to shut down because they don't have the staff, Gilmore said. "That's going to be a big issue.

"The whole thing about luxury travel for me is service and it's people that make a good experience," she said, adding that she will further discuss the issue with other experienced professionals at the invitation-only ILTM Asia 2014.

The event will also touch on new trends, especially family travel, in Asia as well as the international luxury travel market, organizers said.

"Luxury family travel is truly expanding its horizons, combining education with entertainment, embracing teenagers as well as children, authenticity as well as adventure and ultimately creating memories for all ages," Gilmore said.

"People want to be together and no one will leave their children behind. The industry is adapting and better prepared to help families," she added.

Many hotels have launched exclusive programs for younger customers featuring cultural discoveries tailored for each destination.

At the Peninsula Hotel, children can enjoy Chinese kite making in Shanghai, art classes in Bangkok and origami in Tokyo.

"Eventually, they are going to grow into adults. It's about setting the scene for the future as well." Gilmore stressed.

Besides family travel, Gilmore also introduced a new model of luxury travel that she believes all established markets are embracing. It features experiential travel, authentic experiences, eco-tourism, voluntourism and sustainability.

She explains that experiential travels are trips to temples, relics, and even skiing and snowboarding in the Antarctic, not just staying in a luxury hotel and having beautiful fluffy towels and a massage.

"The word 'luxury' makes everybody thinks it's extravagance, but for me, travel is about enriching your life. I think experience in different cultures is enrichment for life," Gilmore said.

She cited the ice festival in Harbin, one of her favorites, as an example. She was excited about how local people turn this cold weather into such a fun festival.

"It's just one of the amazing experiences," she said.

"But the classic model is still the key for emerging markets, which is high status, the best service, exclusive locations and privacy guaranteed."

grace@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/28/2014 page10)