Elegant Resorts has launched its latest luxury travel trends report in conjunction with Kerzner International and travel trend forecasting agency Globetrender. 

Luxury Horizons: Unveiling 2024’s Travel Trends features seven key emerging trends to watch for next year, including so-called longevity escapes, land extensions among cruisers, the influential Generation Z market, designer collaborations with hotels and enrichment journeys. 

The medical spa market was identified as a growing area for travel, with the report citing statistics claiming the sector is projected to reach $49billion by 2030. 

Elegant Resorts said wellness resorts and retreats were investing in “a wide range” of treatments, programmes and therapies in response to the demand, including IV infusions, cryotherapy and biohacking, fuelling the trend of 'longevity escapes'.

The white paper said the luxury travel sector could also see a rise of ‘cruise framing’, with a growing number of cruisers organising itineraries pre and post-voyage. Elegant Resorts said its clients increasingly use the operator’s expertise to guide and advise on extensions “where they can go deeper into some of the destinations visited while on board”.

Generation Z will continue to be an “influential generation”, the report found, with Elegant Resorts receiving more requests for resorts popular on social media platforms like TikTok, including Ozen Bolifushi in the Maldives and its famed waterslides, or Dubai, a hotspot for digital content creators.  

Designer collaborations are also expected to become more prominent with hotels, with brands like Dior, Guerlain, Fendi and Missoni tapping into the luxury travel sector with partnerships at resorts such as One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives and Hotel Cala di Volpe in Italy. 

The report said such partnerships “provide kudos and appeal” and can be a “key factor” in some clients opting for one hotel over another. 

Elegant Resorts pin-pointed multigenerational travel as an ongoing trend for 2024, adding that finding destinations and resorts where the whole family could enjoy time together was the key driver for such groups, with cultural immersions, creative fun, sports and relaxation “the key to success”.

The operator also said it had noticed a growing trend towards organising holidays around key cultural events such as the Paleo di Siena in Italy; major festivals like Coachella in the US or the Carnival in Rio; and sports fixtures including the F1.

The report added that enrichment journeys - or transformative travel - were also “gaining momentum” with affluent travellers, with experiences such as encounters with locals, cooking lessons, observing wildlife in their natural habitat and art classes proving popular as clients seek to return from their trips a “different or better person”.

Elegant Resorts' managing director Lisa Fitzell commented: “The luxury traveller is discerning and has a thirst for new adventures. After the last few years, our clients want to make their holidays more meaningful, make the most of their time with their loved ones, look after themselves and be healthy for longer, ensure every trip matters, enriches their souls, create long lasting memories. 

“Travel is not taken for granted and at Elegant Resorts, we have the expertise and know how to create unforgettable and perfectly curated holidays.”