Luxury Travel, Lifestyle and Marketing Trends

Still battling the current economic downturn, spas are implementing fresh concepts to attract new clients and retain existing customers.

Slum tourism isn’t for everyone. Critics declare that ogling the poorest of the poor isn’t tourism at all – it’s voyeurism that’s more exploitative than supportive. Proponents of slum tourism argue that ignoring poverty won’t make it go away and its one of the few ways that tourists are ever going to understand what true poverty means – a reality check of sorts.

Some call it vandalism. Others regard it as an expression of street lifestyle – even modern art. Yet, graffiti is becoming a popular player on the international art scene, garnering graffiti tourism dollars.

London’s Tate Modern turned its walls into a blank canvas for a graffiti exhibition. Its riverside facade was covered with giant murals by six urban artists with international reputations, including Blu from Bologna, Faile from New York, and Sixeart from Barcelona. Likewise, Miami, known for its whimsical palate of color and style, is seeing a resurgence of the street art. Tourists and locals alike are bypassing the museums and galleries, and heading to the Wynwood Art District (once dilapidated, now prime real estate) to see a selection of the best murals. Graffiti is even becoming an important dimension to red-hot Art Basel Miami Beach and the alternative fairs that come with it.

We recently wrote that over the last few years, ART has become a central focus for hoteliers due to its appeal to affluent consumers, and graffiti ties into this trend perfectly. The Hotel Erwin announced its arrival on the trendy, eclectic shores of California’s Venice Beach, the handwriting was on the wall – in this case, the exterior wall, just outside the entrance. In fact, the handwriting was in glowing, screaming neon colors, splashed there by NORM, a local graffiti artist whose signature work gave the new 119-room hotel immediate street credibility. “When we were designing the hotel it was very important that the hotel be a reflection and good partner with the local community,” said Benjamin Malmquist, general manager. “And Venice is renowned, has a worldwide reputation, for some really unique and creative graffiti art. That’s part of the culture at Venice Beach.”

Hence, a hotel as canvas, a gallery, as a showcase and a studio.

Consumers can be skeptical when it comes to travel-related decision making. As a result, there are currently countless ways savvy consumers can research, compare and review with their peers. More and more on-trend brands are turning to a model of consumer involvement: Interactive, collaborative development processes called crowdsourcing, which empowers consumers to create the products and experiences they most desire, and as a result, score big with consumers and boost marketing effectiveness.

In case you haven’t noticed, the interest in vampirism has exploded. Media news and Nielsen online have reported the demographics for the growing trend toward vampiric entertainment. According to their reports: “There has been increasing mainstream interest in and gravitation towards all things vampire, most recently spurred by the Twilight books/movies and the HBO series, TrueBlood. And even if these aren’t familiar topics to you yet, marketers are keen to the vampire mystique.”

Over the last couple years, ART has become a central focus for hoteliers due to its appeal to affluent consumers (i.e. art is a part of an affluent lifestyle), its ability to add personality to any room, and the value it adds to the guest experience. An added benefit – it can be a very good investment over time. As a result, we’re seeing more and more hotels creating distinctive interiors by keeping up with some of the hottest trends affecting the art market.

Although USA Today recently publicized that Medical Tourism was one of the top trends for 2010, we’ve had our eye on this tourism trends for sometime. Back in 2007, we noted that ‘wellness and looking good continue were moving up in consumers financial priorities.’ Lifestyle trends such as this fueled the spa and medical tourism boom in 2007. We saw the advent of medical real estate, where master-planned communities such as Cooper Life at Craig Ranch in Texas, were built around wellness and medicine. Monthly fees provide luxuries and services, including annual physical examinations and doctor house calls.

Do-it-yourself retailing – personalization to the max – is coming into its own. Following in the footsteps of companies we’ve already written about that lets consumers customize their own products (dresses, handbags, lingerie and duvets, Maps, LEGOs, even original shoe art) Sydney-based online shoe retailer Shoes of Prey is leading the design-your-own trend towards stylish, custom-made women’s shoes.

No one knows for sure what 2010 will bring. Most economists say the global recession has probably peaked, but what will the recovery look like? In some sectors, consumer spending is on the rise, and we’re spotting more and more post-recession flowers blooming. Whether their pocketbooks were squeezed or not, many affluents are now transformed. They want value, quality, and products with a “moral conscience.”

Voluntourism has become the holiday of choice for those keen to give something back. From charities and tour companies, to luxury hotels and cruise ships, there’s no shortage of for profit and not for profit companies willing to organize a volunteer trip for philanthropic travelers. For good reason: Nearly 1 in 20 U.S. travelers has taken a trip to help the less fortunate or support a humanitarian cause, according to research firm Y Partnership’s 2009 National Leisure Travel Monitor.