Creating meaningful relationships with today’s luxury travellers
By Havas Media Lux
Our latest piece of research, The New Codes of Luxury, uncovered a new and fascinating, large cohort of luxury consumers - The Joy Rejuvenators. This female-dominated group has elevated expectations beyond traditional luxury. Due to the pandemic and the ongoing permacrisis, they have a new approach to life—they're finding rejoice through luxury in times of darkness, in a bid to escape everyday life. The Joy Rejuvenators are driving the luxury sector forward, particularly the travel industry. After years of working hard to advance their careers and starting families, this group now has a new appreciation for travel, and there has been a significant shift in their mindset towards feeling deserving of luxury experiences.
Post pandemic, travel is back with a bang, but not as we know it. While some are getting back to old ways, others are adopting new travel habits entirely, making it harder for brands to plan their next move. In 2024, luxury travel is no longer just about indulgence and escapism. The permacrisis has shifted the focus towards the search for meaning, fulfilment and joy. There’s an increased need for unique and transformative experiences that allow people to disconnect from day-to-day life, and as a result, luxury travel is projected to exceed pre pandemic surges for the first time this year.
Now more than ever it’s important for brands to understand these consumer shifts and to know how to connect with new audiences.
They are purpose-driven with R&R at the top of the agenda.
The Joy Rejuvenators are individuals who are highly educated and driven by purpose. They have evolved in their preferences for travel experiences and are willing to invest to seek out more authentic and culturally immersive experiences. Travel is no longer just about indulgence and escapism; it's a reward for resilience and a journey of self-discovery tailored to their individual tastes and values. It's an expression of meaning, a quest for fulfilment, which has undoubtedly become the ultimate luxury.
In line with our research, a recent YouGov study found that affluent travellers are willing to increase their budget for travel, with (58%) saying they would spend more money on unique destinations and experiences. Slightly over half (51%) of respondents stated that they are looking for more meaningful travel experiences post-pandemic that leave them feeling rejuvenated.
Over a third are expressing a yearning for a unique experience that would allow them to get close to nature or visit a remote destination - they are seeking custom tours or other tailored, personalised, travel experiences that enable them to connect with local culture and environment.
“To me luxury means a great state of comfort”
Experience is everything.
The second most popular reason for travel is the desire to fulfil a lifelong dream. Three in 10 (31%) say they want to visit a destination they’ve always dreamed of visiting, with younger generations being particularly motivated to visit somewhere on their bucket list (36%). While the luxury traveller is multifaceted, the common thread is that the majority are after a unique and memorable travel experiences, which provide personal fulfilment and enrichment. A recent survey by Business of Fashion showed that lounging by the pool, visiting the beach and purchasing souvenirs – all of which were once pre-requisites for a holiday - are now outdated concepts for luxury audiences.
BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2024 Consumer Survey
As audiences like the Joy Rejuvenators move away from purely physical accumulation, the lines between luxury categories are becoming more blurred. We’re seeing luxury brands becoming a large part of the travel experience, investing in multi-sensory experiences that are more subtle and speak to the nuances and brand codes of each house. Last year alone we saw The Jacquemus Beach Club in St Tropez, The Valentino Escape on the Amalfi Coast and The Fendi Beach Club in Marbella – Luxury brands extending their offerings beyond retail by cultivating memorable experiences rather than purely promoting their products. These hyperphysical offerings are designed to create a lasting impression and generate positive word-of-mouth.
Often hyper-localised, these experiences are perfectly tailored to each location’ visitor, with their specific tastes and budget in mind. New brand categories, collaborations and influencers become accessible, allowing for authentic engagement that represents a different facet of the brand’s personality. Highly emotional and authentic, these experiences are developed to appeal to a broad range of consumers – a category that was once exclusive, has through travel, become altogether more inclusive.
Dior @ One&Only Beach Club, Malaysia, 2023
Millennial Joy Rejuvenators are pushing the boat out.
With the majority of millennials entering a new phase of their lives with more disposable income, they aren’t holding back when it comes to luxury travel. Not only do they have more money to play with now, but they’re also ahead of other generations in thinking that travel is incredibly important to them (42%). This explains why some millennials are happy to spend on the ‘trip of a lifetime’ when it comes to booking experiences.
Our research showed that 3 in 10 millennials say that they tend to buy the premium version of products and look for top of the range options when booking a holiday. For some, travelling is a luxury experience from start to finish – they're more likely than other generations to pay more for flights and they tend to start their luxury experiences early with a “pick-me-up”. According to GWI, 31% say that they spend extra in duty-free shopping as a treat for themselves.
Hermès, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, Terminal 1
What does this mean for future communications?
The new luxury is a long-term strategic paradigm shift that responds to a fundamental change in the customers relationship with the category. This shift is a culmination of severe economic and cultural changes that we’ve seen accelerated by the pandemic and requires brands to approach communications from a new standpoint.
Fundamentally, there is a need now more than ever to better understand their audiences and to connect with them more meaningfully. We are in an era where consumers want a personal connection with brands, and those that understand them and their values are the ones that will capture the attention of the new luxury consumer, not just today, but tomorrow.
What does this mean for media:
1. Create Glimmers throughout the customer journey.
Glimmers are tiny moments of awe, micro-moments of happiness that spark inspiration. With Joy Rejuvenators embracing emotional spending these moments are needed now more than ever in the everyday. The inspiration phase has become an increasingly important part of people’s purchasing decision, particularly with travel, with 33% most likely to seek out inspiration through social media. It’s no longer enough to rely on creating big brand moments once or twice a year. A move towards always on is critical for future luxury audiences.
2. Nurture connections.
Luxury consumers today are not just looking for transactional relationships with brands. Building loyalty requires fostering a sense of belonging and involvement. While "meaningful travel" can mean different things to different people, our research revealed that a quarter of our respondents consider luxury to mean "exclusive" and "rare". Customisation and community are just as important as culture and cuisine in signalling refined service and a quality product. The new luxury consumer is looking for personalised messaging, which is key to communications planning and goes beyond tailored messaging. They view luxury as a means of belonging to a tribe of like-minded individuals and we know that word-of-mouth is the most effective way of influencing tribes. Social media, reviews, and personal recommendations from friends and family are highly valued by luxury travellers. Fostering word-of-mouth in a way that feels genuine and authentic is key.
3. Lead with rich storytelling.
The brands that will win tomorrow don’t need to define meaningful experiences; they lead with emotion, highlighting unique and authentic experiences that bring audiences closer to that feeling of fulfilment. By emphasising the emotional facets of luxury travel and the potential for self-discovery, rejuvenation, and fulfilment means it can become more than a mere indulgence; it transforms into an investment in one’s well-being – a passport to a richer, more meaningful life.
Get in touch via Hmgukcomms@havasmg.com to receive The New Codes of Luxury from Havas.