Although often used interchangeably, affluent travelers are not luxury travelers. Though they both have high incomes, luxury travelers seek the highest-end accommodation & transportation whereas affluent travelers want to have an authentic experience. They like to learn about the local culture, discover off-beat destinations and get away from the crowd. You are more likely to find an affluent traveler fishing off the coast of Peru rather than staying in The Edwardian Suite at The Plaza, New York.

With respect to accommodation, they are looking for more than just a nice place to sleep. They expect personalized and top-notch on-property amenities, without paying an arm and a leg.

Another interesting observation is that affluent travelers are always searching for the next-big-thing. That’s why we use this opportunity to inspire an affluent traveler during the booking and planning phase through extensive digital media advertising supported by strong social media content.

They are also more likely to book online either directly or through an OTA with the latter being more popular among Affluent Millennials. In fact, the OTA market share is expected to grow 12% year-on-year from 2016 to 2022.

In the US, 39% of all online travel bookings are made through OTAs such as Viator, Expedia, Kayak, Trip.com or Skyscanner. Similarly, in Germany, France and the UK, bookings through OTAs stood at 21%, 32% and 26% respectively.

Source: IPSOS September 2018/The eDreams ODIGEO European Traveller Insights 2017 Report