The Affluent Traveler Collection (ATC) has released the results of a survey it shared with over 500 travel advisors. Key takeaways include the continuing dominance of cruise travel, an increasing demand for sustainable travel, a desire for cultural connections and a general preference for guided travel.
Over half of those surveyed picked cruises as the top travel experience for 2019. According to the collection’s survey, 41 percent of responding advisors picked river cruising as the vacation they believed would be most requested in 2019. Almost 15 percent picked ocean cruising.
Elsewhere in its research, the ATC found almost half of advisors have seen a shift in clients looking for travel opportunities with sustainable brands. “It’s no longer an afterthought, but instead a priority, “said Nicole Mazza, the chief marketing officer of ATC.
Additionally, advisors noted travelers are valuing smaller cultural connections. More than 60 percent of respondents said things like a meal with a local family, early museum access or discovering a new neighborhood were the most requested part of an itinerary. Finally, despite 20 percent of advisors calling FIT travel a trend for 2019, over 50 percent said they had seen an increase in demand for guided vacation experiences.
The ATC’s survey also asked advisors about the top destinations going into 2019. The top five most popular countries were Iceland, South Africa, Japan, Croatia and Italy.
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