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Boost business with Sarah Hedley Hymers’ recommendations for securing more bookings
Travel is evolving at remarkable speed – and so are the expectations of the people booking it. Today’s travellers want more than a holiday; they seek purpose, personal enrichment and experiences worth paying a premium for, whether that means mastering a new skill, marking a life milestone in style or embracing cutting-edge AI to plan the perfect trip.
At the same time, luxury is being redefined, with everything from immersive cultural workshops to ultra-exclusive sailing yachts reshaping the high-end market. For travel professionals, understanding what is driving consumer demand has never been more important, nor more commercially rewarding.
Demand for experiential travel is well documented. No longer content with traditional sight-seeing, travellers are more inspired by sight-doing, especially younger generations.
According to the 2026 Global Travel Trends Report by American Express, nearly 80% of Millennials and Gen Z want to book local activities and workshops while on holiday, and the savviest hoteliers are harnessing this desire for hands-on activities to connect with guests.
In 2025, while on a tour of Asia, I booked a stay at The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River specifically to assess firsthand why the hotel had ranked as the best in Thailand and second best globally on the integral World’s 50 Best Hotels list.
One of its key differentiators is its compelling programme of immersive guest workshops. Designed to connect visitors with Thai culture, sessions take place in The Library each morning and cover topics ranging from lotus folding to the art of Thai drop coffee. Add to that the hotel’s atmospheric riverside location, luxury yacht transfers, expertly curated art gallery, high-tech Urban Wellness Centre and award-winning F&B and you have the recipe for a top-ranking hotel.
The Global Travel Trends Report’s survey respondents noted that such experiences foster a deeper appreciation of local culture, and that the memories made last far longer than material souvenirs.
The Apurva Kempinski Bali has come up with an activity programme that delivers both experience and memento, focusing on Indonesian crafts in its daily complimentary workshops. While visiting there, I learned how to make traditional Indonesian bracelets and every time I wear them, I’m fondly reminded of the resort, keeping it front of mind for when people ask me to recommend a place to stay in Bali.
An even greater extension of experiential travel is the actively educational holiday. As conventional fly-and-flop holidays continue to fall from favour, demand for life-enhancing experiences has brought leisure learning into the spotlight.
A 2025 trend report from Booking.com found that more than two-thirds of global travellers now prefer experiences that teach a new skill and demand for ‘skillcations’ has risen across adventure, culinary and creative categories. Furthermore, consumers are prepared to pay a premium for what they perceive will offer return on investment.
Tailor-made to impart or improve a tangible skill, popular edu-trips range from wildlife photography courses in Rwanda to studying for WSET wine appreciation certification in the Maldives, a course that’s on offer at the underwater restaurant at Anantara Kihavah. If there is a better setting for budding sommeliers to hone their tastebuds, I am yet to discover it.
The lesson for travel agents is to ask not where your customers wish to go, but what they wish to learn. The new luxury is not about doing less, it’s about doing something better – and travellers are no longer just collecting passport stamps, they’re collecting capabilities.
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Another key question that travel agents should ask their clients is: what are you celebrating this year? Marking milestones – from ‘big’ birthdays and graduations to bachelor bashes and weddings – has become a key motivator to travel.
In designing multi-generational holidays for groups, agents have the opportunity to upsell to their clients’ extended family members and friends gathering for the milestones.
According to American Express Travel’s 2026 Global Travel Trends Report more than two-thirds of global respondents are travelling for other people’s milestones this year, and they cite spending more time with family and friends and discovering places they may not typically choose to visit as the main reasons.
The report also highlights that 82% of travellers are extending trips, often by up to four days to explore the destinations they visit for milestone trips independently.
We are currently witnessing the birth of a new travel category. Luxury sailing yacht holidays are the latest must-do experiences at sea with leading hospitality brands Orient Express, Ritz-Carlton, Aman and Four Seasons all introducing new products to the market.
Orient Express’ first sailing yacht, Orient Express Corinthian, was baptised at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France in April 2026. The vessel is said to be the world’s largest sailing yacht, with three rigs able to deliver 100% wind-powered propulsion in favourable conditions. The yacht features 54 suites with a maximum capacity of 130 passengers.
Orient Express Corinthian’s sister ship Olympian is currently being fitted, also at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, and is expected to sail from April 2027. The unveiling of Orient Express’ first yacht follows the launch of the inaugural vessel from Four Seasons in March and comes as The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection prepares to debut its third ship in July. Amangati, the maiden vessel from Aman Group, is scheduled to sail in 2027.
“It’s excellent news that Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Aman, together with Orient Express sailing yachts, are paving the way for a new category,” Orient Express’ President of Sailing Yachts, Philippe Heltland-Brault said.
Sales for Orient Express Corinthian opened in March 2025 and have been going well, according to the group, with particular interest in private charters – five are already booked – and clients are being sourced from the yachting sector.
Orient Express Corinthian departed from Saint-Nazaire on 2 May to travel to the French Riviera, before embarking on its maiden season in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic from May to October. A three-night sailing starts from US$19,350 for two.
The single most impactful change travel companies can make this year is to successfully integrate AI technology into their business. Travel brands are launching ChatGPT apps for one simple reason: they want to be where customers are increasingly choosing to search. Instead of opening multiple tabs, comparing dozens of fares and wrestling with filters, customers can now type a plain-English request – such as “Find me a week in the Maldives in November for under US$3,000” – and get tailored options in seconds. It makes travel searches feel more like conversations with an agent.
Expedia was among the first major online travel agencies to launch a dedicated app on ChatGPT in October 2025. Many more followed, including Wego, Skyscanner and Saudi Arabia’s leading travel platform, Almosafer, which became the kingdom’s first company to offer consumer services through the AI platform.
In aviation, Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to hop on board, and Accor led the way among the big-brand hotel groups, launching a dedicated ChatGPT app in January under its All Accor label that allows travellers to search for and compare rates, and then book directly.
This feature is an extract from the Connecting Travel Insight Report 2026. With exclusive data from industry heavyweights RateHawk and Emerging Travel Group, the 35-page report forecasts key developments in the GCC travel and tourism sector as well as revealing this year’s top 10 outbound destinations for GCC travellers, providing a roadmap to new opportunities. Get your complimentary copy here today.
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