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The Great Escape Continues – Travel Demand Still High

The Olinger Group’s 2023 Travel Trends Report Reveals Insights on High-Income Travelers: A Comparative Analysis with Reuters Study

(NEW ORLEANS) – August 31, 2023 – The Olinger Group, a distinguished market research firm celebrating three decades of industry leadership, is proud to present the findings of its highly anticipated 2023 Travel Trends report. This comprehensive report offers a visionary glimpse into the travel behaviors of individuals with household incomes of $100,000 or higher (rising luxury travelers and luxury travelers), predicting their preferences for the coming year. In conjunction with this, the report presents a fascinating comparative analysis with a study conducted by Reuters on the travel trends experienced during the summer of 2023.The 2023 U.S. Travel Trends Report vs. Actual Travel Trends (Reuters)

Key predictions include:

• Travel Enthusiasm on the Rise: According to The Olinger Group’s predictions, high-income travelers are eagerly anticipating a surge in vacation plans for the upcoming year. This prediction resonates with the current landscape, where the post-pandemic travel boom continues, fueled by the allure of exploration and the availability of travel options. High ticket prices have not deterred travelers from seeking enriching experiences, leading to a resonance between TOG’s forecast and the Reuters report.

• Elevated Luxury Spending: The Olinger Group’s foresight indicates that luxury travelers are poised to increase their vacation spending by a remarkable 20% within the next year. This aligns seamlessly with the global panorama, as passenger demand is projected to grow by 22% YoY in 2023. The discerning tastes of affluent travelers are resonating across the industry, substantiating TOG’s prediction.

• Cruise Industry Renaissance: The Travel Trends report highlights a resurgence of interest in cruising, harking back to pre-pandemic levels. The rebound in U.S. domestic travel has revitalized the travel sector, resulting in enhanced earnings for travel companies and record-breaking results for cruise operators and airlines. This resurgence is in sync with The Olinger Group’s forecast.What’s Next in 2023?

The Olinger Group’s 2023 U.S. Travel Trends report goes beyond predicting future trends; it lays down a roadmap for the remainder of 2023:

1. Continued Luxury Escapes: Luxury travelers will continue their quest for memorable experiences through increased vacation frequency and augmented spending on each trip.

2. Advisor-Centric Travel: A significant proportion of luxury travelers anticipate relying on travel advisors over the next two years, further emphasizing the value of personalized guidance.

3. Accommodation Evolution: The preference for sharing economy accommodations is anticipated to diminish relative to hotels and resorts, underscoring the rekindled allure of traditional hospitality.

4. Revival of Culinary and Entertainment Excellence: The report heralds a renewed enthusiasm for refined dining and entertainment options within the cruise sector, adding an extra layer of opulence to the high-end travel experience.

The Olinger Group’s 2023 Travel Trends report, with its profound insights and apt predictions, underscores the company’s commitment to providing unparalleled industry foresight. With a remarkable 30 years of excellence in market research, The Olinger Group continues to shape the future of travel by decoding the desires of discerning travelers.

Media Inquires

For a free copy of part three of The U.S. Traveler Trends Study 2023, questions or to schedule an interview, contact Chanttel Allen, Managing Director of The Olinger Group. callen@olingergroup.com

504-208-4300

08/31/2023

The Olinger Group Unveils Live Well Insights; Reports Unprecedented Growth

Insights Association

New Orleans-based The Olinger Group has announced that it has experienced significant growth thus far in 2023, thanks in part to its focus on Live Well Insights™.

As brands increasingly look for ways to support their customers’ expectations and aspirations around living well, The Olinger Group has positioned itself to provide applicable data-driven, actionable insights. The Olinger Group’s passion lies in doing meaningful market research that can shape lives in an extraordinary way and help brands help others live well. This commitment has never been more important than it is today as the company plays a role in supporting the brand ecosystem as it evolves.

“We’re thrilled to see such strong growth for our company,” said CEO and founder Jude Olinger (pictured). “Our focus on Live Well Insights resonates with brands today. It has helped us better serve our clients and their customers, and we’re looking forward to continued success in the future.”

08/09/2023

Questex Brought Luxury Travel Advisors and Suppliers Together to Celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Summit

Questex LLC

Luxury Travel Advisor Unveiled its Annual State of Industry Report, Showing Luxury Travel Has Turned Inward Towards Family-Oriented Travel and Adventure

NEW YORK, June 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questex’s Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Summit, the premier hosted buyer event in the luxury travel space, successfully took place June 20-22, 2023 at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in Arizona. The invitation-only event gathered pre-qualified, leading luxury travel agency owners, managers, and independent contractors, to meet one-on-one with the top luxury travel suppliers. This year, 1,450 one-on-one meetings took place, along with lavish networking receptions, unique activities, and insightful presentations.

The event kicked off with a welcome reception and fun activities for event attendees. Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Summit partnered with Arizona Helping Hands to support underprivileged students in the community. Advisors and suppliers filled backpacks with school supplies, and their generosity and support will play a role in helping the community thrive. In addition, while attendees enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres some put on roller skates and took laps back to the ‘80s while listening to some classic tunes.

As the conference commenced, Matt Turner, editor of Luxury Travel Advisor, presented “A Look Inside Your Business,” an annual report based on a pre-event survey distributed to the attending advisors. The new, emerging trends show luxury travel has turned inward towards family-oriented travel and adventure. Travel advisors are helping clients plan their vacations by curating customized experiences that aren’t available to the general public, working with trusted tour operators to create unique FITs to provide bucket list trips.

Keynote speaker, Jude Olinger, founder and CEO of The Olinger Group, presented a session on “The Great Escape – US Luxury Traveler Trends 2023.” The day saw other speakers, including Laura Powell, veteran travel and wellness consultant, who shared insight on “Trends and Opportunities in the Luxury Wellness Travel Space.” One of the mainstays of the ULTRA conference is a pop-up session, where Andrea Hutchinson, Industry Relations Director, Questex Travel & Hospitality Group, challenged the audience with questions to stimulate thought leadership and conversation.

06/27/2023

Demand for Luxury Travel Continues Unabated: The Olinger Group

Luxury travelers are taking more trips and spending more money as the demand for luxury travel and experiences continues unabated, according to a study conducted in Q4 of 2022 by The Olinger Group, a market research firm whose specialties include luxury travel and luxury brands.

The Q4 study is a follow-up to “The U.S. Luxury Traveler Study 2022,” which was conducted in spring 2022 to provide baseline information on the identity, expectations and behaviors of luxury travelers. Over 1,600 U.S. travelers with an annual household income of over $100,000 and took leisure vacations were surveyed. Three groups were created: Luxury travelers with HHI of $250,000-plus (higher income) who consider all their vacations to be “luxury vacation;” luxury travelers with HHI of $100,000 to $249,999 (lower income) who consider all their vacations to be “luxury vacations;” and “other travelers” who did not define all of their vacations as such. In all, 60 percent identified as luxury travelers.

01/17/2023

New Olinger Group Survey Uncovers Luxury Trends in Time for the Holidays

Luxury travelers are taking more trips and spending more money as the demand for luxury travel and experiences continues unabated, according to a study conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022 by The Olinger Group, a market research firm whose specialties include luxury travel and luxury brands.

The fourth quarter study is a follow-up to the U.S. Luxury Traveler Study 2022, which was conducted in the spring to provide baseline information on the identity, expectations and behaviors of luxury travelers. The Olinger Group timed the studies to coincide with the summer and holiday peak travel periods, thereby providing timely information to companies specializing in high-end travel experiences.

12/05/2022

60pc of top earners choose travel destinations based on social media: report

A new survey finds demand for upmarket travel and experiences remains strong into the fourth quarter, with wealthy consumers buoyed by large amounts of discretionary income continuing to spend with enthusiasm. This fourth-quarter follow-up from The Olinger Group confirms the findings of the firm’s U.S. Luxury Traveler Study 2022 produced in the spring to develop an understanding of the behavior, identity and expectations of upper-echelon travelers. “Luxury travelers value and prioritize these memory-making experiences, so they are willing to spend despite what’s currently happening in the economy,” said Jude Olinger, CEO of The Olinger Group, New Orleans. “More than nine in 10 luxury travelers in our study agree with the statement that vacationing is the event that they most  look forward to each year,” he said. “That beats Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Even higher numbers say that they are more likely to try new things on vacation and that their vacation memories are more valuable to them than anything they’ve bought in the past year.” No kidding The Olinger Group this past spring surveyed 1,664 high-income travelers throughout the United States and learned they had big plans for the coming year. This fourth-quarter study proves those plans were fulfilled. Those who made between $100,000 and $249,000 per year shared a largely similar travel profile to those who make $250,000 or more, though there were some differences.

Those in the latter group took more vacations in the last year. This cohort planned to take more time off and spend more money than other travelers as well. Overall, though, it seems all surveyed were ready to enjoy themselves and willing to pay generously for the privilege. The vast majority of travelers in both groups consider high-end travel as a well-earned reward for their hard work and enjoy being treated like VIPs.

12/08/2022

High Demand for Luxury Travel Continues Unabated

Luxury travelers are taking more trips and spending more money as the demand for luxury travel and experiences continues unabated, according to a study conducted in Q4 of 2022 by The Olinger Group, a market research firm whose specialties include luxury travel and luxury brands.

The Q4 study is a follow-up to The U.S. Luxury Traveler Study 2022, which was conducted in the spring to provide baseline information on the identity, expectations, and behaviors of luxury travelers. The Olinger Group timed the studies to coincide with the summer and holiday peak travel periods, thereby providing timely information to companies specializing in high-end travel experiences.

The TOG team also compared the Q2 data and Q4 data for luxury travelers in the $250+ income level.

Here are a few key findings from the study:

• More than 80% of luxury travelers involve their children in key decision-making processes, and more than 90% said their children were influential in one particular decision.
• Two hotel chains are significantly more appealing to higher-income ($250K+) luxury travelers, and one is significantly more appealing to lower-income ($100K – $249K) luxury travelers.
• Luxury travelers identified the 10 most influential factors in deciding which cruise line to select.
• Households with income levels of $100K – $249K are significantly more likely to seek out travel guidance through social media, tour guides, and tour operators.

12/09/2022

High Demand for Luxury Travel Continues Unabated

The Olinger Group identifies luxury travel trends among household income levels and across industries in time for the holiday travel season

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Luxury travelers are taking more trips and spending more money as the demand for luxury travel and experiences continues unabated, according to a study conducted in Q4 2022 by The Olinger Group, a market research firm whose specialties include luxury travel and luxury brands.

More than 80% of luxury travelers involve their children in key decision-making processes.

The Q4 study is a follow-up to The U.S. Luxury Traveler Study 2022, which was conducted in the spring to provide baseline information on the identity, expectations, and behaviors of luxury travelers. The Olinger Group timed the studies to coincide with the summer and holiday peak travel periods, thereby providing timely information to companies specializing in high-end travel experiences.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/high-demand-for-luxury-travel-continues-unabated-301695844.html

The Olinger Group is a full-service market research firm based in New Orleans, Louisiana, celebrating nearly 30 year in business. (PRNewsfoto/The Olinger Group)

Luxury Market Study: The Vacation, Planning Habits of Luxury Travelers

Luxury travelers are planning significantly more vacations in the next 12 months, when compared to all other travelers, according to Steve Cohen, special consultant for the Olinger Group and managing partner for Stelico Consulting Group. At Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Summit last week at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, FL, Cohen presented “Luxury Market Study,” which surveyed over 1,500 U.S. travelers with an annual household income of at least $100,000. (For travelers to be considered a “luxury traveler,” they must have defined all of their trips as luxury vacations; the remainder are defined as “other travelers.”)

08/04/2022

By Matt Turner

Olinger Group to Focus on Health, Wellness and Luxury

Founder and CEO Jude Olinger (pictured) explains: ‘Insights firms today are expected to be highly specialized, comprised of teams with deep knowledge and shorter learning curves. I’m thrilled that we’ve made the change and are following our passions.’

03/23/2022

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

N.O. Market Research Firm to Focus on Luxury, Health and Wellness

NEW ORLEANS – For the past 28 years, the Olinger Group has been a “generalist” market research firm. Now, the company’s management team said it has decided to take the advice it gives most of its clients: “Follow the research, listen to your gut and evolve.” That said, the Olinger Group will now specialize in three vertical categories: health and wellness, luxury brands, and luxury travel.

03/22/2022

By: Site Staff

The Olinger Group Makes the Leap to Specialization. – Top Market Research Firm Will Now Focus on Luxury Brands, Luxury Travel, and Health & Wellness

For the past 28 years, The Olinger Group has been a generalist firm, providing insights that have helped some of the largest and most prestigious brands in the world climb to the top of their categories. Today The Olinger Group Management Team formally announced that it’s decided to take the advice it gives most of its clients: Follow the research, listen to your gut, and evolve. That said, the team has officially made the leap to specialize in three verticals they’ve been passionate about for a long time: Health & Wellness, Luxury Brands, and Luxury Travel.

03/22/2022