The luxury segment continues to serve as a major contributor to the industry’s resurgence, with growing numbers of travelers booking vacations this year and beyond, said four advisors affiliated with Travel Experts, the luxury host agency.

"I do think that the luxury market is aiding in the recovery of the travel industry, in part because luxury clients traditionally travel more and are eager to keep up their lifestyles," said Trish Gastineau of Simply Customized Travel in Fort Myers, Fla. "They have a more robust travel wish list and actively pull from it when making their next travel plans."

2021 Booking Picture

"As with many travel advisors this year, the majority of my clientele have opted to travel domestically this year," Gastineau said.

Amy Daniel of Custom Design Travel in Montgomery, Ala., has booked a steady amount of travel to the Caribbean and Mexico for 2021. "I also have had a substantial amount of inquiries and bookings for luxury dude ranches, the Florida Keys, and for vacations out West this year."

For Stacy Small of Maui-based Elite Travel International "this past year saw a lot of domestic and closer-to-home travel, mostly trips to Hawaii and extended summer vacation stays at luxury hotels, from the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua to Las Ventanas in Cabo."

"Clients put their Christmas/New Years’ trips on the books much earlier than typical, knowing the ‘safe’ options would quickly sell out."

Sandy Pappas of Sandy Pappas Travel in Atlanta has been selling vacations to Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Mexico, and ski and spa destinations "mostly in the U.S., but with some clients inquiring about Europe," she said. "I’m optimistic that the U.K. will remain open, as I have a trip scheduled for January."

She noted that her "clients want to use up their air credits from when the pandemic first started but at the same time they don’t want to get burned again so are looking at fully refundable air."

Outlook for 2022

"Next year is going to be a busy year for luxury travel," Small said. "My iPhone is buzzing with clients wanting to chat about next year spring break and summer plans. I’ve already had a few clients pay in full for their summer 2022 Seabourn Alaska and Europe cruises – Seabourn offers 10 percent early booking incentive which clients seem to like."

"I’m booking lots of Greece, Italy and Spain for 2022, and Hawaii is still strong, as are ranch vacations," said Pappas. "A trend I am seeing with clients is ‘trip stacking’ – planning a trip to Europe for summer 2022 but booking Georgia’s Sea Island or something similar as a Plan B safety plan so they aren’t out of luck should the Europe trip fall through."

Customized Vacations

"I am very pleased to report that my luxury bookings for 2022 look quite promising," Daniel said, adding that she has booked many clients on premium and luxury cruise lines in suite categories. "I also have a good number of bookings for Italy that are highly customized with our luxury on-site partners."

Similarly, Gastineau said she is noticing "more people who are upgrading from balconies to minisuites or suites on cruises, and several others who have decided to stay in Europe a few days longer to add on post-itinerary stays to experience a nearby location that had been on their radar for a while."

For Small, "It’s all about ‘get us to Africa, Morocco, Greece, Italy, Bali – places we’ve been wanting to go for years.’

I’m already booking private yachts in the Med for next summer and even a big luxury Rwanda/Serengeti trip for summer 2023.

"These are $100,000-plus trips. Luxury travelers are ready to get back out to see the world and not questioning prices, knowing it’s all about securing availability while it exists," she said.

"I think it’s the luxury demographic that’s ready to get back to pre-pandemic spending on travel as soon as it’s possible to do so safely."

Client Concerns

"The main two concerns that I’ve been getting are, ‘What if I test positive on the return and have to quarantine’ and the political/social issues in the Middle East and some parts of Europe," said Trish Gastineau.

"To help clients prepare for those types of situations I’ve been offering them products like MedJet Assist and the upgrade to its Horizon program that would get them out of situations that were volatile and make them feel safe. Those products are over and above the normal travel protection insurance that we recommend."

Sandy Pappas noted that her clients have expressed concern about "testing positive with a breakthrough infection and being stuck out of the country to quarantine. Many more clients are interested in Covac Global memberships for this reason," she said.

Covac Global provides medical evacuation service without hospitalization requirements.

Another concern is "delays and jumping through all of the hoops it takes to arrive to an international destination," said Amy Daniel. "I’m so glad that I can be there for my clients and provide them with all of these requirements, as well as be their advocate and voice should something go not as planned."