High-net-worth individuals are looking to slow down when it comes to travel, according to Belmond SVP global brand and marketing Arnaud Champenois.
Champenois, who has experience working in both the retail and hospitality sectors with Cartier and Starwood, told an audience at UK luxury retail body Walpole’s annual conference in London recently that not only are customers moving from buying luxury products to indulging in experiences, but they have become very particular about how they experience things.
“Last year was about quiet luxury, now we talk about slow luxury and slow travel,” he said, reflecting on the growing popularity of upscale heritage train travel and the luxury hotels at the destinations that complete the package. He is, of course, well placed to comment on such trends. Belmond – best known as the operator of luxury train travel and the Queen of them all, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – has been expanding rapidly into more rail routes and luxury hotels since its high-profile acquisition by luxury goods giant LVMH in 2018.
“What is really important for us, and which is one of the biggest trends, is for people reconnecting with the golden age of travel and the past,” he said. “Slow luxury is also often about travellers travelling slightly less frequently but for a longer period of time. This means that they can really experience something that is authentic and genuine. Travellers don’t want to be tourists, they want to connect locally and have open doors to the places they visit.”
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