Sipping and eating through wine country in Bordeaux, Napa Valley and Tuscany have emerged as the most popular types of luxury travel desired among the richest households in the US. In a survey of 1,200 US households who bring in incomes of more than $150,000 USD, 37 percent of respondents said their ideal luxury vacation would be to take a wine tour traipsing the French, Italian or Californian countryside, according to the recently released Resonance report on Affluent Travel and Leisure.
The next most popular form of vacationing among affluent holidaymakers? Boarding a luxury cruise liner.”The popularity of both wine country and cruising points to very different trends,” said Resonance Consultancy President Chris Fair in a statement. “Wine is culture and art, wine is scenery and history, and wine is the best friend of food. It really embodies some of the most compelling reasons that people travel, and some of its most pleasurable experiences.”
Cruises, meanwhile, appeal to multi-generational families, he said, allowing parents, kids, and grandparents to travel together comfortably without being stuck in each other’s company 24/7. Here are the most popular forms of luxury travel and entertainment among affluent households in the US:
1. Tour through wine country in Bordeaux, Napa, Tuscany
2. Cruise on a luxury liner such as the QE2
3. Attend a Broadway or West End show
4. Visit a rare or remote landscape (i.e., Antarctica, etc.)
5. Take a trip on the Orient Express or Rocky Mountaineer
6. Trip to luxury casino and attend shows in Las Vegas
7. Go on a safari in Africa
8. Attend a major sporting event (i.e., Wimbledon)
9. Take a family vacation to Disney
10. Go on a spa retreat (such as Canyon Ranch)
11. Gourmet cooking lessons abroad
12. River rafting or canoeing adventure
13. Visit a part of the world that is endangered
14. Attend a film festival such as Sundance or Cannes
Key findings of the affluent travel & leisure report also includes:
– Affluent American households take an average of 3 vacations a year averaging 6 days in length.
– Ritz Carlton is the #1 hotel brand of choice for high net worth households ($1MM+) on vacation
– Marriott is the most frequented hotel brand of affluent households
– New York City is the most popular U.S. vacation destination, followed by Las Vegas and San Francisco
– The Bahamas is the most visited island destination, followed by Puerto Rico and Jamaica and Turks & Caicos is the #1 destination affluent households aspire to visit
– Italy is the #1 overseas vacation destination for affluent households followed by the U.K. and France.
– Wine country tours and luxury cruises are the most desired type of vacation experiences
– Affluent owners of vacation properties use them an average of 5 weeks per year.
– Affluent consumers are willing to spend an average of $650,000 on their next vacation property
