Luxury tourism

FACULTAD DE TURISMO Y FINANZAS GRADO EN TURISMO LUXURY TOURISM Trabajo Fin de Grado presentado por Carmen García-Carpintero Rodríguez, siendo la tutora del mismo Manuela Escobar. Vº. Bº. del Tutor: Alumno: D. D. Sevilla. Junio de 2016 GRADO EN TURISMO FACULTAD DE TURISMO Y FINANZAS TRABAJO FIN DE GRADO CURSO ACADÉMICO [2015-2016] TÍTULO: Luxury Tourism AUTOR: Carmen García-Carpintero Rodríguez TUTOR: Manuela Escobar DEPARTAMENTO: Departamento de Filología Inglesa ÁREA DE CONOCIMIENTO: Filología Inglesa RESUMEN: La presente investigación se basa en el estudio del turismo de lujo actual, haciendo un breve repaso sobre la evolución del turismo allá por la Edad Antigua hasta hoy en día, y adentrándonos más específicamente en el turismo y turista de lujo de la Edad Contemporánea, analizando el perfil turístico, los destinos más solicitados y las agencias de viajes y turoperadores más demandados por este nuevo tipo de clientes. PALABRAS CLAVE: Luxury tourism, destinations, hotels, travellers, TripAdvisor. TFG-TUR. LUXURY TOURISM -I- ÍNDICE 1. CAPÍTULO 1. INTRODUCCIÓN, OBJETIVOS Y METODOLOGÍA ............................................................ 1 2. CAPÍTULO 2. HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND......................................................... 5 2.1. WHAT IS LUXURY TOURISM? ........................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2. EVOLUTION OF LUXURY TOURISM ....................................................................................................................... 8 3. CAPÍTULO 3. TOURIST PROFILE ................................................................................................................................................................ 13 4. CAPÍTULO 4. MAIN LUXURY DESTINATIONS AND ITS RESOURCES ................................... 17 4.1. ASIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18 4.1.1. Thailand .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 4.1.2. Maldives ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 4.1.3. Dubai ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 4.2. PACIFIC ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 4.2.1. Polynesia ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 4.2.2. Caribbean .................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 4.3. AFRICA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25 4.3.1. Mauritious .................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 4.3.2. Seychelles .................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 4.3.3. Zanzibar ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 29 4.4. EUROPE ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 30 4.4.1. France ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 31 4.4.2. Italy ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 5. CAPÍTULO 5. TRAVEL AGENCIES AND TOUR OPERATORS ................................................................. 35 5.1. TRAVEL AGENCIES .......................................................................................................................................................................... 35 5.1.1. Virtuoso............................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 5.1.2. Zicasso ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 36 5.2. TOUR OPERATORS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 37 5.2.1. Cox & Kings ............................................................................................................................................................................. 37 TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -1- CAPÍTULO 1 INTRODUCCIÓN, OBJETIVOS Y METODOLOGÍA La presente investigación se basa en un estudio sobre el turismo de lujo actual, partiendo desde la evolución histórica de los indicios del principio del turismo desde la edad antigua hasta su claro resurgimiento progresivo, allá por los años 50, hasta una descripción explícita desde el punto de vista de varios directores y especialistas en el presunto tema, analizando el perfil del turista de lujo de hoy en día y los principales destinos turísticos de lujo alrededor del mundo, así como sus principales recursos más demandados, realizando seguidamente un análisis de las principales agencias de viajes y tour operadores más representativos de este nuevo sector emergente. La elección de este tema me pareció interesante ya que el turismo de lujo no está denominado como un tipo de turismo en sí como lo es el turismo rural, el cultural o el gastronómico, sino es una tendencia en alza que ha ido creciendo a lo largo de los años en los principales continentes desarrollados como Europa y América del Norte, pero que también en las últimas décadas ha ido creciendo tanto como en Asia y África. El lujo puede tener significados altamente diferentes entre sí, ya que cada persona percibe el lujo como algo distinto a otra, unas vacaciones de lujo pueden ser tanto en una playa de la costa Onubense con familia y amigos como en un Resort todo incluido en las islas Seychelles. Por eso, la percepción de cada persona cambia mucho el significado de la palabra, pero el presente trabajo no se rige por percepciones, sino por hechos económicos que demuestran que el gasto turístico superior a la media es denominado turismo de lujo. Hoy en día, un parte significativa de los ingresos totales que proporciona el turismo es gracias al llamado segmento turismo de lujo, no es tal el volumen de turismo de este sector sino más bien el gasto total realizado por estos tipos de viajeros, dominado en mayor parte por turistas jóvenes que priman la experiencia sobre la suntuosidad, el glamour y el lujo tradicional. El proyecto que presento consta de cinco capítulos estructurados de la siguiente manera, siendo el primer capítulo este mismo, abarcando introducción, objetivos y metodología; El segundo capítulo se basa en una aproximación histórica y teórica del turismo, respondiendo a la pregunta ¿Qué es el turismo de lujo?, ese nuevo segmento que crece a lo largo del tiempo en mayor proporción gracias al desarrollo tecnológico, de comunicaciones e infraestructuras y el que engloba a una serie de turistas que priman la experiencia sobre el lujo tradicional y clásico, conocido como glamour u ostentación. El lujo está experimentando un cambio social, los formalismos típicos de la antigüedad ya no están a la orden del día, si no las experiencias que ofrecen esos nuevos productos y servicios a disposición de viajeros con un alto poder adquisitivo. Por supuesto, la calidad en los detalles y la confianza en el proveedor siguen siendo fundamentales, tanto como productos y servicios personalizados y de percepción única que queden para siempre en el recuerdo. La evolución histórica del turismo también se incluye en este capítulo, comenzando desde la Edad Antigua en la Grecia clásica, cuando los primeros movimientos turísticos comenzaron cuando las personas se desplazaban con motivo de asistir a los Juegos Olímpicos en Olimpia. Avanzando en el tiempo, en la Edad Media, surgieron otro tipo de movimientos turísticos motivados por la religión, las peregrinaciones, las más frecuentes hacia la Meca y desde Venecia a Tierra Santa. Debido a la continuidad de estas peregrinaciones en la Edad Moderna, surgió la necesidad de crear unos nuevos alojamientos llamados Hotel (palabra francesa que designaba los palacios urbanos) para alojar a las grades personalidades, ya que viajaban con todo su séquito y no eran posibles de alojar a todos en un mismo palacio. Después de dos guerras mundiales, el crack del 29 y diversos problemas históricos, el turismo sufre un parón aunque nunca dejó de crecer. Es entonces cuando en los años 50 de empieza a hablar de boom turístico. En el tercer capítulo se recoge el perfil del turista de lujo, abarcando cuestiones como: 1. Cuántos viajes se contratan y realizan por año 2. Cuándo se realizan estos viajes y cuál suele ser el periodo de duración 3. Qué cantidad de dinero se suele gastar de promedio el turista de lujo 4. Qué servicios son contratados con respecto al viaje en sí 5. Dónde suelen ser los destinos más solicitados 6. Y por qué se suelen sentir atraídos los turistas una vez están en el destino elegido. El cuarto capítulo se centra en los principales destinos de lujo a nivel mundial y sus principales recursos, destacando en cada destino los mejores hoteles seleccionados cuidadosamente por una de las mejores webs de opiniones de viajeros, TripAdvisor. . Los sitios con la marca TripAdvisor conforman la comunidad de viajes más grande del mundo, que alcanza la cifra de 340 millones de visitantes únicos al mes, y 350 millones de opiniones y comentarios sobre más de 6,5 millones de alojamientos, restaurantes y atracciones. (TripAdvisor, n.d.). Los destinos elegidos se basan en las principales reseñas excelentes de los viajeros, los recursos de cada destino, la política y el medioambiente y la percepción del turista de ese destino. Los destinos están divididos por sectores, tres continentes y el océano pacífico. ASIA PACÍFICO ÁFRICA EUROPA -Tailandia -Maldivas -Dubái -Polinesia -Caribe -Islas Mauricio -Seychelles -Zanzíbar -Francia -Italia Tabla 1.1 Principales destinos de lujo. Fuente: Elaboración propia. El quinto y último capítulo engloba a las principales agencias de viaje del sector del turismo de lujo junto al principal turoperador. La principal red de agencias de viajes a nivel mundial del sector de lujo es Virtuoso, una red que engloba a cientos de agencias de viajes y agentes especializados en variedad de destinos de lujo, dejando a elección del consumidor la elección de estos. A Virtuoso se le suma Zicasso, otra red de agentes de viajes de todo el mundo que opera de una forma peculiar pero similar a Virtuoso. Para destacar como turoperador, tenemos a Cox & Kings, la compañía de viaje más arraigada del mundo, ganadora de múltiples premios mundiales con respecto a turoperadores. Decidí desarrollar este trabajo en inglés ya que es una manera de superación personal con respecto al idioma, porque me ha supuesto bastante más trabajo que si lo hubiera escrito en español. Me parece interesante desarrollar un trabajo extenso y formal en el idioma extranjero para poder adquirir más conocimientos lingüísticos y gramaticales, así como sinónimos y palabras clave que antes podía no conocer y gracias al proyecto ahora están en mi vocabulario. Con respecto a los objetivos, he desarrollado una tabla que explica claramente mis propósitos iniciales con este proyecto: TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -3- -Analizar la evolución del turismo, resurgimiento de este nuevo segmento y especificar tendencias del turismo de lujo a nivel mundial -Conocer los principales destinos de lujo más demandados y sus recursos -Conocer las principales agencias de viajes y touroperadores encargados de estos viajes suntuosos. -Aproximación del perfil del turista de lujo -Determinar la actual situación del turismo de lujo en el mundo Tabla 1.2 Objetivos del proyecto. Fuente: Elaboración propia. Para la metodología de este proyecto, he usado varias publicaciones de revistas, plataformas online y electrónicas, como The Economist, Hosteltur, The Blueroom Project, Revista El País, entre otras webs, con cantidad de artículos del turismo de lujo tanto nacional como internacional. También he consultado portales académicos como Fama, de la Universidad de Sevilla, Google Scholar o Dialnet, para obtener información contrastada de autores expertos en el tema. El presente trabajo está escrito en inglés, una forma que me pareció muy interesante de elaborar para enriquecerme en el idioma y avanzar gramaticalmente. Para la elaboración del trabajo en inglés, los soportes de ayuda que he usado han sido páginas webs como WordReference, Linguee o The Saurus, una página web que muestra los sinónimos y antónimos de las palabras solicitadas. Para apartados como ¿Qué es el turismo de lujo? Y la evolución histórica del turismo, he usado respectivamente webs como Hosteltur, portal líder de noticias de turismo en Español, formado por un grupo de comunicación especializado en información turística profesional, recabando información de varios artículos publicados y traduciéndolos simultáneamente al inglés, y webs como la de la Organización Mundial del Turismo junto con otros portales tale como Vinculando, o revistas digitales extraídas de Google Scholar así como Cultural Heritage and Tourism Evolution, C Moulin - Historic environment, 1990, para consultar la evolución histórica del turismo y poder extraer un breve resumen conciso posteriormente también traducido. Para el capítulo cuatro, los principales destinos de lujo y sus recursos, he usado como web principal de consulta TripAdvisor, la mayor web e viajes del mundo, dónde los viajeros planificar y reservar el viaje que mayor se ajuste a sus deseos y necesidades tanto como dar opiniones abiertas y valorativas de los destinos, hoteles y demás recursos patrimoniales y culturales. Los destinos con marca y recomendación TripAdvisor son claramente una elección segura, ya que está valorado por millones de usuarios de todo el mundo, por lo tanto las expectativas y percepciones del viajero potencial están muy influenciadas por estas opiniones. Nota: Todas las referencias tanto de autores como de páginas webs escritas en español, han sido posteriormente traducidas por mí para plasmarlo en este proyecto. The crack of 1929 affected negatively the tourism sector, limiting its growing until the end of 1932. The Second World War paralyzed the tourism in the world completely, and its effects continued until 1949. Between 1950 and 1973, the touristic boom started to be a fact. The international tourism grows constantly as never have been before in the whole history. This development is consequence of the new international line, the social stability and culture development of the occidental world. Is this time when it first started to legislate the tourism sector. Figura 1.1 Tourism towards 2030 global overview. Fuente: UNWTO. There are also the years in which the big urban centers develop and the overcrowding is evident, the desire of escape the stress of the cities and clear the minds. In these years the automobile production chains makes them affordable as well as the road construction and highways. The propeller plane is replaced by the reaction one, what means a definitive blow to sailing companies that were forced to spend their boats to cruise or scrapped. (Rodríguez Pulgarín, 2011) As seen on the graphic, from the 1970s everything that tourism has done is growing extraordinarily. In 2000, there were 940 million tourists all around the world, highlighting Europe as the main growing segment with more than 400 million tourists. Europe is followed by America and Asia and Pacific, and in a lesser proportion we found Africa, due to the poverty of its population in spite of been the richest continent in resources of the world. In the next graphic we can see the expectations of the growing tourism until 2030. In 2010, the number of tourists kept rising until reaching 1,400 million tourists around the world, with the same segment structures as before and the new expectations shows that in 2030 the number of tourists will be 1,800 million. According to the UNWTO, the TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -11- number of tourists will be growing from 2020 to 2030 at a moderate pace than in the past decades, which means that in the next two decades, 5 million people will cross international borders for leisure, professional issues or other reasons such as visiting friends or family. Figura 1.2 Tourism towards 2030 global overview. Fuente: UNWTO. A recent study by Amadeus, a multinational provider for the global travel and tourism industry, identify a new customer who prefers the experience over other priorities. Luxury travels will increase 6,2% in the next 10 years, above the estimated average which was 4,8%, according to Amadeus study‟s conclusions and a cooperation with Tourism Economist, an integrated business in The Oxford Economics. Europe and North America, which has the 64% of these type of luxury movements, will maintain their predominance, although Asia will register the highest rate of growing. The report about the evolution of luxury trips until 2025, was presented yesterday in Dubai, while Amadeus Airline Leaders Forum was happening. It identify the revival of a new type of customer already explained before. Between 2011 and 2015, the luxury tourism registered 4,5% growing in the annual rate, while standard trips registered the 4,2%. According to the study which define luxury travelers as those kind of people who has an incomes over 150,000 dollars, the expected increase for the next 10 years will be because of some factors, such as the rise of the middle class in the emerging markets, the revival of new products and luxury services or the resurgence of this new type of customer. Concluding, Europe and North America, which consolidate a 64% of the luxury trips and represent just the 18% of the global population, will maintain the leadership in this sector. (Porras, 2016) TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -13- CAPÍTULO 3 TOURIST PROFILE According to Luxury Travel Trends Report, luxury tourist profile continues being most popular between travelers aged 36 to 55 years (68% millennial generation) and 30% of travelers are over 55 years. These type of tourist, usually go on luxury trips with a partner (70%). Families come in second place with a 26%, and the third position corresponds to travelers traveling with friends. Luxury‟s profile nowadays is very demanding about having new experiences, and also highly characteristic about one growing network, the social media. Luxury travelers trust blindly in social Medias, the excessive information given in these networks, recommendations, review and advice, make the luxury tourist more selective and stringent about how and where to go. How many? 47% of travelers book more than four trips per year; 31% book two or three trips per year and just a 22% of the luxury travel agents sell one trip per client per year. Figura 3.1 Value of luxury travel. Fuente: Luxury Travel Trends, Pangaeanetwork. They also prefer to book their trips one or two months prior to departure. The market cross-section now shows that: 89% of German clients purchase more than 4 trips per year. They are followed by the Italians (49%) and the French (40%). The British (46%) and Spanish (41%) take 2 or 3 per year and finally the Netherlands has the highest percentage of people that only book 1 luxury trip per year (43%) When and how long? As it seen on the graphic, luxury tourists tend to take the vacations on August and December, seasons where most people have vacations coinciding with summer and Christmas holidays. The lowest season for the tourist to travel is in November followed by March. On average, travelers prefer to take a 10 day holiday (the 46%), shortening the length of the median period of the last few years (two weeks) Figuras 3.2 y 3.3 Time of year and duration. Fuente: Luxury Travel Trends, Pangaeanetwork. 10 days is the most popular length of trip in Italy (59%), France (55%), Spain (48%) and the UK (43%). At the other end, 51% of the Dutch and 41% of German holidaymakers maintain the trends and go away for more than 2 weeks. How much budget? A 54% of the survey respondent answered the average expenditure per trip is among 5.000 to 10.000 Euros; almost 2 of 10 international travelers have a budget over 10.000 Euros, and the third part of them spend less than 5.000 Euros. Figura 3.4 Expenditure. Fuente: Luxury Travel Trends, Pangaeanetwork. TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -15- Which services are purchased? According to 69% of respondent, luxury clients tent to book packages including hotels, transfers and excursions, and just the 1% of the ones polled answered the only book flights. This tendency is not very common because the luxury traveler want everything in a step; they are not as classic tourist that search in one hundred pages to find the best and cheaper prices, they select one travel advisor (because almost every luxury client book their vacations with travel agents) and plan the trip all included. Figura 3.5 Service purchased. Fuente: Luxury Travel Trends, Pangaeanetwork. Where? The main upcoming destinations selected to luxury trips are; United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Oman, Brazil, India, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Maldives. Figura 3.6 Main destinations. Fuente: Luxury Travel Trends, Pangaeanetwork. What are they attracted by? Tourists still prefer privacy and exclusivity as first option at the time of choosing as much as the quality of the accommodation they will stay in. New products and new destinations are rising quickly as the new generation of luxury travelers wants something unique and new experiences besides the added values, letting the price range away from what they are really looking for, as the price for the luxury tourist is never an inconvenient. Figura 3.7 Attractions. Fuente: Luxury Travel Trends, Pangaeanetwork. General luxury demand can segment in three categories according to the purchasing capacity. Accesible Luxury Aspiring Luxury Absolute Luxury -People who luxury means something essential in their lives, even if it would be a sacrifice to get it. -Business owners and comfortable professionals. -People with a high patrimony, economic fluctuations don't affect them. -Have net incomes of $100,000. -Have at least $1 million financial asset. -Have at least $30 million dollars in financial asset. These types of clients are gradually more interested in luxury and selective tourism than mass destinations. At least 8 to 10 million people all around the world. It's estimated that there are just 80,000-95,000 individuals worldwide. Tabla 3.1 Luxury categories attending to purchasing capacity. Fuente: Elaboración propia. TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -17- CAPÍTULO 4 MAIN LUXURY DESTINATIONS AND ITS RESOURCES Regardless of which are the main luxury destinations nowadays, there is also a study rank about the world's most popular luxury hotel brands in 2015 (Luxury Branding rank) The Ritz-Carlton, property of the Marriott International, takes top one in the rank, followed by Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Raffles Hotels & Resorts. This scale is based on independent analysis of 2,25 million travelers‟ reviews on TripAdvisor. Social media and internet outlets continue to revolutionize the role of consumers in shaping brand perceptions, even at the higher end of the luxury spectrum. Piers Schmidt, Luxury Branding's founder, said: The luxury hotel sector, which traditionally has been ranked by industry organizations, travel operators and specialty publications, is becoming democratized by the advent of TripAdvisor and similar portals that allow consumers to act as vocal, real-time critics, champions and commentators." Figura 4.1 World’s best hotel brands in 2015. Fuente: Luxury Society The main destinations I picked of each continent was based in most luxury hotel's excellent reviews, standards of quality, high end resources, politic and environmental atmosphere and how the destination is perceived by the customers. There are several countries which have the most number of 5 stars hotels starting with China, Turkey and Mexico, but by coincidence, these top three 5 stars hotel destinations are noticed as not as safe as other ones. 4.1. ASIA Asian travelers are much active in social networks than any other region, they use social networks to search information and share their travel experiences continually. In fact, they are responsible of the 53% of all the luxury hotel reviews published of customers between 2012 and 2015. Mainland China luxury travelers prefer amiability and efficiency of the service, while all Asians travelers excluding China, give more importance to breakfast and tranquility. 4.1.1 Thailand After the tsunami of December 2004 hit Thailand's resorts, beaches and resources hard, leaving an enormous human toll along the coast of Phuket and the nearby mainland areas of Phangnga and Krabi, the tourist industry has been fighting back to recover what it was before; a luxury touristic destination. In just one year, the south coast of Thailand was totally normalized. Nowadays, tourism in Thailand is an important part of the Thai economy, providing a total contribution of 19,3% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), twelve years later, the coast of Thailand is everyday crowded with lots of tourist from all around the world. Now talking about the luxury resources Thailand is known for, we found on TripAdvisor the Top best 25 Luxury Hotels in Thailand. The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai tops number 1, with almost 96% of 1,095 excellent reviews and its appearance as a magic white castle at the outside, influenced by the Lanna Kingdom, an Indianized state centered in Northen Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries. Lanna style is, characteristic for being constructed entirely from teak wood, elevated structure and V shaped extensions to the gable ends that point skyward by about a meter and are intricately carved. (Muang, n.d.) Figura 4.2 The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai. Fuente: Google images. Prices of this luxury Thai hotel comes between 520 Euros for Colonial Suites not including breakfast to almost 1.100 Euros for Villas with pool, breakfast included per night. Followed by the top 2, Layana Resort and Spa, counts with almost the 93% of 1,164 excellent reviews. Both of the hotels are part of the Virtuoso group, the luxury network travel agencies which comprise the best hotels and trip plans of the world. This one TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -19- even though is in the second position has way more prizes than the first one, highlighting Asia‟s Leading Spa Resorts 2015, Thailand‟s Leading Spa Resorts 2015, World Luxury Spa Awards 2015 and Seven Stars Awards 2015 in between. Figura 4.3 Layana Resort and Spa. Fuente: Google images. Similarly prices of this resorts comes along 260 Euros to 1187 Euros per night, first not including breakfast and second one including it. 4.1.2. Maldives A paradise country made of 1200 island, which only 203 are habitable, but just 185 of these islands are home to its 300,000 habitants. The other islands are used thoroughly for economic purposes, of which tourism and agriculture are the most dominant. After its independence from the United Kingdom at the end of the 70s and the international tourist expansion, Maldives started to embrace new tourists. Italian were first ones who picked this destinations as vacation, in fact, they still take the first position as visitors. Also, thanks to its chromatic water wealth and the abundance of sub aquatic marine life, Maldives is the top choice of divers all around the world. The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts located in Maldives, offers wholly customizable luxury private charters on the country‟s fastest and most luxurious live aboard: the Four Seasons Explorer. Four Seasons Explorer, a 128ft, three-deck catamaran. The vessel navigates through some of the most sought-after dive and snorkeling locations in the Indian Ocean that teem with neon-colored fish and is naturally an excellent choice for marine adventurers. Figura 4.4 Four seasons explorer catamaran. Fuente: Google images. 5. Sun, sea and sand for resort tourism and reefs for snorkeling and diving 6. Wildlife for safari tourism 7. Mountains, lakes, rivers, forests and valleys for nature, scenic and adventure tourism; 8. Cultural assets in the form of the built environment (monuments, old cities), a living heritage expressed in distinctive local customs and song, dance, art and handicrafts, etc., and museums that reflect the local cultural heritage or a wider global heritage. (Christie & Crompton, 2001) 4.3.1. Mauritius Mauritius was a lacking resources country based in agriculture until its independence in 1968. From that moment, Mauritius, with a density of population of 530 per square kilometer, became a emergent country where the main resource is the tourism industry which fuels its economy, growing every day. An old Portuguese, Dutch, French and British colony, Mauritius is nowadays a multicultural destination with a thick history, a excellent leisure supply and a rich and varied gastronomy. Hotels in Mauritius have faced difficult times during the 1990s because of changing customer demands and increasing competition from other tourist destinations like the Seychelles, the Pacific and Caribbean islands. The country‟s hospitality and tourism sectors are trying to augment and offer more than the traditional “sea, sun and sand” concept which, until recently, has formed the core of the tourism product. (Juwaheer & Ross, 2013) Attending to TripAdvisor, first hotel we find with over 2,887 reviews, half of them with excellent punctuation, the Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort, with an average price of 327 Euros per night. (islasmauricio.com) Figura 4.15 The Heritage Awali Golf and Spa Resort. Fuente: Google images. The hotel offers a wide range of services such as windsurf, kayak, snorkeling, kitesurf, dolphin watching or even fishing, in a Resort comprised by 45 Villas, a championship golf course, a nature reserve, 12 restaurants, 1km white sand beach and two spas. TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -27- At almost the same rating and level of luxury, we found Constance Le Prince Maurice, situated between 60 hectares of virgin land; the hotel is surrounded of the prominent winds and offers a maximum protection for the guests. Its tropical gardens are made of an exuberant and unique vegetation and the calmed and turquoise lagoon are in harmony combined with its beautiful landscape and the white sand beaches. The resort consists of 89 spacious, modern and luxurious suites and villas set throughout the resort. Junior Suites are either in the tropical gardens, by the beach or on stilts over the edge of the lagoon, which is also a natural fish reserve. The Villas on Stilts overlook the lagoon and offer even more space including a living/dining room, while the Villas Beachfront feature a plunge pool on the terrace (kuoni.co.uk) 7 restaurants, helicopter or limousine transfers, spas, catamaran cruises, golf lessons among others services. Figura 4.16 Constance Le Prince Maurice. Fuente: Google images. 4.3.2. Seychelles A widespread and isolated group of small islands, 113 in total in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles gained independence in June 1976, almost 206 years to a day after the first group of inhabitants settled there. Since then, the population has increased to over 85,000. Eighty per cent of the population lives in Mahé, the principal island where the density is 380 inhabitants per square kilometer. The country depends on imports for its basic foodstuffs and a major characteristic of the Seychelles economy is its reliance upon tourism. It is the major source of the country‟s foreign exchange earnings. The development of tourism into a major industry for the Seychelles resulted from a conscious decision taken in the light of the need to diversify the economy from its near complete dependence on agriculture and fisheries. That decision taken in 1964, involved the construction of an international airport at Anse Dejeuner, Mahé, which opened for its first scheduled service by jet aircraft on 4th July 1971. (Gabbay & Ghosh, n.d.) According to TripAdvisor, first hotel we find in top one is the Four Season Resort Seychelles, with a certificate of excellent by TripAdvisor and also the Traveller‟s choice tag. Counting with 815 reviews, most of them excellent, an exclusive tree-house villas each with plunge pool, perched on a jungled hillside, starting for the price of 980 Euros per night, As well as indulging in water sports, spa located at the top of the hill, and two restaurants to enjoy. Figura 4.17 Four Seasons Resort Seychelles. Fuente: Google images. Raised off the ground to catch the cooling Indian Ocean breezes, all villas open up onto the private garden and the beach, North Island Seychelles, a luxury private island resort, including plunge pools and outdoor showers, lounge and dining areas, scenically located health spa and gym, library and dive centre, and a rim-flow swimming pool are all built into a granitic outcrop. North Island features just eleven private guest villas, all been created from local materials harvested during the island rehabilitation process, balancing luxury and simplicity to form a signature architectural style we call “barefoot luxury”. (“North Island Seychelles,” n.d.) This hotel resort, comes up from 3050 Euros per night and person, being the second most expensive hotel I have presented in this project (Burj Al Arab tops first place), and that is because the North Island is located in a private island, where you are almost the owner of the beach and landscape. Figura 4.18 North Island Seychelles. Fuente: Google images. TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -29- 4.3.3. Zanzibar Zanzibar is an archipelago made up of Zanzibar and Pemba Islands, and several islets. It is located in the Indian Ocean, about 25 miles from the Tanzanian coast. There are no large wild animals in Zanzibar, and forest areas such as Jozani are inhabited by monkeys, bush-pigs and small antelopes. Zanzibar‟s local people are an incredible mixture of ethnic backgrounds, indicative of her colourful history. Islam is the dominant religion, and practiced by most Zanzibaris, although there are also followers of Christianity and Hinduism. Population is estimated at 800,000, with the largest concentration being Zanzibar City which has approximately 100,000 inhabitants. Fishing and agriculture are the main economic activities of the local people. Zanzibar was once the world‟s largest producer of cloves, and her economy was based on large incomes thus derived. Although cloves are still a major export along with coconut products and spices, tourism has been ear-marked as the primary foreign exchange earner, with more visitors coming to Zanzibar each year. The government body responsible for tourism promotion is the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism. The Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI) is already involved in several projects, some with the assistance of the European Union, all with the goal of improving the local economy, particularly the tourism sector. ZATI‟s aim is to achieve excellence in hospitality, leadership in marketing, and sustainable growth in tourism, for the benefit of its members, and the wider community. ZATI is grateful to have the full support and cooperation of the Zanzibar government. The winner of the Traveller‟s choice prize 2016 is for Zanzi Resort, tops one position of 165 hotels in Zanzibar. This Resort possesses only seven luxurious ocean-view villas and six African Eco garden-view bungalows, all of them lavishly equipped, and located on a 6 hectares area. The Villas have been designed with privacy in mind offering panoramic sea views from both the living area and the bedroom. Each villa is attended by a private concierge to guarantee a discreet and personal service and each bungalow has direct access to the secluded beach. (“Pure Zanzibar,” n.d.) Figura 4.19 Zanzi Resort. Fuente: Google images. As a fact, Zanzi resorts are truly eco friendly with the environment; 1. Is the only hotel on the island that has Styrofoam isolation installed on the roof 2. Waste water is filtered in their own biological treatment plant 3. They have sensor movement switches installed to ensure the economical use of electricity among others. The second best hotel in Zanzibar is twice chosen for two different web sites as the best second one; The Baraza Resort and Spa, recommended by TripAdvisor and The Zanzibar Collection. Figura 4.20 Baraza Resort and Spa. Fuente: Google images. Baraza Resort & Spa is located along the beach that was named as one of the top 30 island beaches in the world by Conde Nast Traveler magazine; Baraza is Zanzibar‟s most exclusive boutique resort. With 30 villas and a fusion of Arabic, Swahili and Indian design, with Swahili arches, intricate hand carved décor, beautiful antiques, handmade furniture and intricate brass lanterns. (“Baraza Resort & Spa,” n.d.) The resort has over 563 opinions, almost them excellents. The price range starts from 1074 Euros per night even not including breakfast. Baraza Resort offers some supply services such as tennis court, kids club, water club and a dive center. In this Resort is also typical of celebrating marriages. Baraza Resort & Spa can arrange the private “Island ceremony” and assist you in planning the special occasion. 4.4. EUROPE The fascination of Europe never ends. Europe has thousand destinations which most of them have a luxury essence, not as the other stops before mentioned as Africa, where tourism is focused in some countries where luxury is predominant, as there are not middle class hotels. Also, the tourism in Europe is such a business, as it is a continent which has lots of developed countries and curious travelers plus an excellent transport system which gives you the opportunity to travel from one country to another for a really cheap price, due to the international relations and the proximity of these countries. The currency fluctuations, Europe weakness economy and international crisis, are some facts which have affected the luxury business in 2014 and 2015, but Chinese consumers demand and the Europe mature markets such as Americans and Japanese, are already getting back to luxury travels again, something that obtained to resist this luxury commerce. TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -31- Figura 4.21 Top 10 tourism destinations in Europe. Fuente: Eurostat Statistics Explained, November, 2015. As we can see in this graph, the top one destination in Europe is Spain, followed by Italy, France, United Kingdom, Austria and Germany among others, but Spain, despite of being the number one election, does not have as many luxury destination points as Italy and France have, and also is less perceived as a luxury country comparing to the two destinations before said. 4.4.1. France France is a big country which have several great destinations that could be considered as luxury ones, but in the bigger picture, the first city which is clearly a top and luxury one is Paris. Its centre is small and ideal for visiting on foot, with every turn revealing a famous landmark, a cozy café, a smart boutique or a busy boulevard. There are hotels to suit every visitor, from the palatial to the contemporary, the trendsetting to the classical. Paris is also the home of great food and boasts a plethora of restaurants from traditional bistros to smart, trendy restaurants and Michelin-starred establishments. (“Guide to Paris,” n.d.) Paris also has a great offer of Cultural luxury private tours, such as Art luxury tours, French cuisine luxury tours or luxury tours to discover Paris‟ history. Regarding to accommodation in Paris, there are many hotels with almost the same punctuation between them; Starting with the top one we find Maison Souquet, hidden behind an understated façade signaled by two red lanterns, carried away from the city on the whimsy of the decor, the mind is free to pursue pleasure amid a fantasy setting conjured through artwork, sofas, causeuses, and divans. A temple to hedonism, the Maison Souquet is home to 20 rooms, including six suites with unique interiors. (“Maison Souquet,” n.d.) Figura 4.22 Maison Souquet. Fuente: Google images. The price for this room can vary starting from 307 Euros per night. The Maison won the Traveller‟s choice award on TripAdvisor in 2016. On TripAdvisor, we found the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris in the 11th position, but having consulted many other pages such as Luxury Hotel Guides, Five Star Alliance or Grand Luxury Hotels web sites, this hotel is the best one chosen by people on this pages. Figura 4.23 Four Season Hotel George V Paris. Fuente: Google images Located just steps from the Champs-Elysees, with privates terraces that command all of Paris, restored 18th centuries tapestries, and a defining spirit of elegant and charm. Built in 1928, the hotel offers 244 luxury hotel guest rooms, an exquisite art collection and decadent fine dining. This Hotel is also winner of the Traveller‟s choice awards by TripAdvisor 2016. (“Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris,” n.d.) The price of this luxury Hotel starts from 1,099 Euros per night, and has over 1,976 reviews on TripAdvisor. 4.4.2. Italy With 48.6 million tourists a year, Italy is the fifth most visited country in international tourism arrivals, behind France, the United States , Spain, and China. People mainly visit Italy for its rich art, cuisine, history, fashion and culture, its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains, and priceless ancient monuments. Italy also contains more World Heritage Sites than any other country in the world. (“Italy,” n.d.) Tourism is one of Italy's fastest growing and most profitable industrial sectors, with estimated revenue of €189.1 billion. As always, starting from top rated number one, The Gritti Palace in Venice. The price range of this hotel starts in 990 Euros per night. The Gritti is known for impassioned service, a delectable culinary experience and an intimate wellness haven. The reference point for the world's elite at international city events such as the Biennale, Carnival and the Venice Film Festival. (“The Gritti Palace,” n.d.) In The Gritti Palace is also a typical habit of celebrate the marriages. The hotel offers a wide offer of services to help the bridegroom to organize their day. TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -33- Figura 4.24 The Gritti Palace. Fuente: Google images Changing the segment of accommodation, we find Italy Luxury Travel, an Italian destination management company (DMC) and tour operator specialized in Luxury Travels options. With more than 10 years of experience, an inimitable network of partners and strong knowledge of the industry they offer you a complete and tailor made experience in Italy. As the starting point, they identify your needs and wishes, then swiftly propose the best solutions to meet those requirements. Seamless service, safety and security are the cornerstones of the operations, and exclusivity is given by the most thorough planning. The pleasure of your journey is our goal, whilst providing a perfect, bespoke service is our job. (“Italy Luxury Travel,” n.d.) They offer several services such as shopping, sports, transport, wellness, accommodation, art, assistance, culture and honeymoons. In their web page, you can select the sector you want to pick and they offer you many other options related with what you want. If we pick shopping, the options they give you are Italian fashion & shopping tour, super cars shopping, Milan Fashion week or Christmas shopping among others. Figura 4.25 Italy Luxury Travel. Fuente: Google images TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -35- CAPÍTULO 5 TRAVEL AGENCIES AND TOUR OPERATORS While conventional and low cost travel agencies are continually decreasing due to the fact of the do it yourself online travel itineraries, luxury travel agencies are totally the opposite. These agencies consist of both travel partners and travel advisors, who are specialized in creating travel routes you can't find online or plan yourself plus wordclass customer service and experience, but how do advisors, partners and suppliers benefit you as a traveler? On Virtuoso webpage, the most important global luxury travel network, it answers this question as ''The Internet did make it easier to book your own travel, but it also created a ton of information overload. Travel advisors shifted from more transactional (booking tickets and rooms for you) to transformative (working with you to plan the best experience possible for you and your family). They help you cut through the clutter''. In Spain, more than 1,600 travel agencies have closed down in the past four years and its increasing numbers as holidaymakers turn to the internet to make travel plans. The number of travel companies and tour operators that have closed down has risen by 45 per cent over the last year, on the other hand luxury travel is on the rise, and travel agents are seeing a growing share of the luxury travel agency business. Today‟s luxury clients "are looking for more unique experiences and exclusive access" and "want to learn the local secrets of the destinations they explore,” Zicasso (free travel service that connects travel specialist who design the vacation itinerary) reported. For those reasons, luxury travelers are increasingly turning to travel agents who specialize. 5.1. TRAVEL AGENCIES 5.1.1. Virtuoso First we should know about luxury travel agencies is the famous and known Virtuoso. This is a luxury travel network, where all luxury travel agencies and travel advisors all around the world are connected. When you become a part of Virtuoso, you join more than 9.000 leading luxury advisors in 26 countries who collectively sell $12.5 billion annually, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. (Virtuoso, n.d.-a) But, how does it work and why use a travel advisor? Virtuoso is leading in specialized travel because of their wide range of travel advisors in the company. Each one of them is focused in several (but not many) destinations, so depending on where you want to go and where you are living now you can choose one travel consultant or another. Virtuoso travel consultants have a profile in Virtuoso network, showing their resume and places they have traveled to make it easier for you to pick one to help you finding your perfect plan trip. And why use a travel advisor when you can do it yourself? This question is one of the most asked ones for the Virtuoso group, so for the past three years, Virtuoso have been leveraging consumers answers to the question „‟why not to use a travel advisor‟‟ to create core business strategies and launch initiatives that underscore the value of using a Virtuoso travel advisor. In Virtuoso webpage, this question is answered in five affirmations; 1. -Takes it from ordinary to extraordinary. A virtuoso travel agent can guarantee special benefits that a client can‟t get on their own, just because in traditional and typical web pages aren‟t offered and also because they don‟t have internal and special connections that virtuoso travel agents have, such as Italy Luxury Travel. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://italyluxury.travel/pages/en/dmc_italy_luxury_travel.html Los hoteles de Dubai se mantienen como los más caros del mundo | Hoteles. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2016, from http://www.hosteltur.com/116218_hoteles-dubai-se- mantienen-como-caros-mundo.html Luxury Travel Report: Things Are Looking Good for 2015. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2016, from http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Luxury-Travel-Report- Things-Are-Looking-Good-for-2015 Maison Souquet. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.maisonsouquet.com/es/el-espiritu- de-la-maison/ Manufacture Fran aise des Pneumatiques Michelin. (2015). pa a a p or ugal la gu a i helin La guia Michelin. North Island Seychelles. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.north-island.com/aboutnorth-island/ profile study. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2016, from http://www.blueroom.es/wpcontent/uploads//2012/07/Luxury-Travel-Trends-Report-4th-Edition.pdf Pure Zanzibar. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.purezanzibar.com/Zanzibar/Hotels/Zanzi-Resort Ranking de las 10 marcas hoteleras de lujo más populares en 2015 | Hoteles. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2016, from http://www.hosteltur.com/112981_ranking-10- marcas-hoteleras-lujo-populares-2015.html Red Savannah. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.redsavannah.com/about-us/ourmanagement-team/ Silver Door. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.silverdoor.co.uk/blog/the-metropolitan/ The Economist. (n.d.). A place to lay your bread | The Economist. Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://www.economist.com/news/international/21662558-way-rich- travel-changing-place-lay-your-bread The Gritti Palace. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thegrittipalace.com/ Turismo de lujo e internet: oportunidades para las agencias de viajes: Discovery Service para Universidad de Sevilla. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2016, from http://0-eds.b.ebscohost.com.fama.us.es/eds/detail/detail?sid=1159ebf9-cc63- 4916-a9f6- 211def6733a2%40sessionmgr198&vid=0&hid=111&bdata=Jmxhbmc9ZXMmc2l0 ZT1lZHMtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsgcl.248204276&db=edsgao Virtuoso. (n.d.-a). Become a Virtuoso. Virtuoso. (n.d.-b). Why work with an advisor. world most popular lux brand. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2016, from http://www.luxurybranding.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/Worlds_Most_Popular_Luxury_Hotel_Brands_2015.pdf World Travel Awards. (n.d.). World Travel Awards. Retrieved from https://www.worldtravelawards.com/how-it-works TFG-TUR. Luxury Tourism. -43- World travel&tourism statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2016, from https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic impact research/countries 2015/thailand2015.pdf