Source page: McKinsey & Company

Commentary

Visual form

Line chart.

Layout / body structure

This is a single chart with four colored series plotted across increasing spend-per-night thresholds. Read left to right through the spend bands and compare the height and slope of each motivation line.

What is being compared

It compares four motivations for aspiring luxury travelers as spending per night rises: exploration of a new culture, cultural or historical trip, authentic experiences or cultural immersion, and experience of new things.

Measurement system

The y-axis is percentage of respondents and the x-axis is amount spent per night, moving from lower spend to higher spend thresholds. Color separates the four motivation themes.

Visible structure inside the graphic

Each motivation is a dot-and-line series. Two darker blue series sit higher on the chart, while the lighter and magenta series cluster lower, and all four lines can be traced across the same four spending bands.

Main takeaway from the visual

The chart shows that higher-spend aspiring luxury travelers are most strongly motivated by exploration, culture, and authentic experiences, while novelty alone remains the weakest of the four motives.

Key standout values or extremes

The exploration line reaches the low 80s at the higher spend band, cultural and historical travel climbs into the upper 50s, and the novelty-focused line stays down around the teens to low 20s even at the right side of the chart.

Controls / sequence, when applicable

This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.

Companion media, when applicable

There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.


A luxe travel shift

Consumer | Travel

June 18, 2024Summer has arrived in the Northern hemisphere. All this week, our daily charts will focus on travel and tourism. We’ll explore shifting travel preferences, new business models, luxury travel, disruptions affecting the industry, and more.

Demand for luxury tourism is projected to grow faster than other segments of the industry, but even among this group, preferences vary widely. Aspiring luxury travelers—those with net worths of $100,000 to $1 million—tend to favor exploring new locales and seeking cultural immersion, senior partner Matteo Pacca and coauthors find in their survey of more than 5,000 luxury travelers. Those at higher wealth levels often prefer exclusivity and personalized services. Catering to these evolving preferences and rethinking commonly held perceptions about the luxury market is essential for attracting and retaining these consumers.

The aspiring luxury traveler has distinct motivations from other travelers, prioritizing novelty, culture and history, and authentic experiences.

To read the article, see “Updating perceptions about today’s luxury traveler,” May 29, 2024.


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