Jetting to far-flung and unusual destinations used to be the preserve of the gap-year traveller, but as tuition fees rise and the over-50s become more adventurous, the older generation are threatening to take the title of Britain’s most intrepid tourists.
However, the baby-boomer generation are far less likely than their younger counterparts to book an economy flight and flop at the first hostel they stumble across.
With considerable spending power to leverage, they want to see the world in style, but simultaneously get beneath the skin of a destination.
Luxury escorted operators have their fingers firmly on the pulse of this market, and are delivering holidays tailored to their needs. The clients who choose these tours aren’t opting for an escorted group tour for the money savings it might offer over private travel, but because they feel they are the best option out there.
Luxury escorted tours are available through top-end operators such as Cox & Kings, Bales Worldwide and Journeys of Distinction, which started selling through the trade this year.
Some mainstream escorted tour operators have luxury ranges, such as Insight Vacations’ Gold collection, and APT’s Luxury Small Group Adventures and Premier Plus escorted tours.
Unique experiences
Luxury escorted tours are following the trend of the entire luxury market by turning increasingly to authentic experiences to satisfy top-end customers’ requests. Kuoni offers a market visit with a Vietnamese cookery class in Hoi An, while guests on Tauck’s new Venice and Veneto tour can take tea with a contessa in a private palazzo in Venice.
Sometimes it’s a matter of avoiding the crowds – Cox & Kings takes clients to a quieter and more dramatic section of the Great Wall of China than the mainstream tours head for, so they’re not stuck in a scrum of other tourists. Journeys of Distinction take guests on its new Summers of the Raj tour to a remote village near Amritsar so they can learn first-hand about local life in the Punjab.
Personal visits, out-of-hours access to sights and museums and learning experiences tend to form these memorable moments, and are often the added value of an escorted tour, as they tend to be things it would be difficult or impossible to organise individually.
Great guides
It’s harder to define than a hotel’s star rating, but for many clients, the quality of guides and tour leaders will play a massive part in their enjoyment of the tour. Luxury operators tend to have both a tour manager and a local guide accompanying each group.
This way, clients can get a local perspective on the country and benefit from the destination expertise of a guide familiar with a particular area, but also have an escorted tour-focused professional handling client care.
Guest lecturers can provide additional value – for example, luxury Indian tourist train the Maharajas’ Express had special departures this year accompanied by experts including journalists and presenters John Sergeant and Michael Buerk.
Far-flung places
Some clients who might usually opt for private travel may well be tempted by an escorted tour when they are heading for somewhere really off the beaten track. Cox & Kings reports that when it launched its programme to Burma in October last year, the escorted tours were booked up very quickly. Once clients returned home, 25% of them booked to go back on a private tour.
The operator has seen the same pattern with Iran and Uzbekistan.
Themed tours
Tours focusing on a certain theme or special interest can provide another compelling reason to choose a group departure. Kirker has a range of cultural tours and music holidays led by guides who are experts in their field.
Barry Cheeseman, senior executive, says: “We often make private visits to museums and gardens, and, in the case of Kirker’s exclusive music festivals, we carefully select the musicians and work with them to plan performances. They are an integral part of the tour, dining with clients and giving impromptu and informal interviews.” Kirker’s 2012 Cultural Tours & Music Holidays brochure came out last week.
Abercrombie & Kent specialises in tailor-made travel, but run a selection of small group tours, eight of which are photographic journeys that are accompanied by a professional photographer as well as a guide who is an expert on the destination.
The best hotels
Wealthy clients demand the best hotels in the best locations. Katie Parsons, Cox & King PR executive, says: “On the lead-in tour to India clients stay at Ramgarh Lodge near Jaipur, which is a former maharaja’s hunting lodge. On the escorted tour of Patagonia, clients stay within Torres del Paine National Park, rather than in Puerto Natales, a three-hour drive away.”
Guests on Insight’s Gold tours stay at properties from the likes of Relais & Châteaux and Leading Hotels of the World.
Smaller groups
Classic escorted tours tend to move en masse, with group sizes of about 40. Luxury tours are more likely to max out at 20 or so, often travelling with even fewer guests.
Smaller groups open up the path for more personal interaction with the tour guides, plus the opportunity to stay in characterful boutique properties, which simply couldn’t hold the larger numbers.
Travelling in style
It’s not just where you go – it’s how you get around. Luxury tours will treat clients to stylish modes of transport, from GoldLeaf service on Rocky Mountaineer trains to a seriously sumptuous Nile Cruise ship.
For example, Bales Worldwide’s Nostalgic Nile itineraries use elegant wooden dahabiyyas, deluxe heritage sailing vessels used by 19th-century European aristocracy to visit the pharaohs’ treasures.
A leisurely pace
Karen Gee, Journeys of Distinction managing director, says: “Our emphasis is on providing an exceptional, in-depth and distinctive experience. We don’t rush clients from one hotel to another – many of our tours stay two or three nights in a location to ensure enough time for guests to experience the culture, history and the sights.”
Insight’s Gold range has more leisurely itineraries than its classic tours, featuring relaxed stays in the best locations.