This Report researches and analyses the travel market, with a particular focus on luxury travel.
In the global travel market, traveller numbers have nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels. The unit price of travel is increasing, and the shift toward luxury is progressing. In this expanding market, new products, which centre on BPC, are being actively launched.
Globally, the necessary elements for luxury travel are considered to be customisation, sustainability and wellness. However, in Japan, there is a high degree of focus on luxurious elements in accommodation and meals. Also, travel to Asia, with its deep connection to the mental wellness sought by today’s consumers, is particularly worth focusing on.
Contact with brands during travel has been shown to influence consumers’ purchasing behaviour, not just on the trip itself but even after returning home. Offering products closely tied to travel experiences is a promising avenue for luxury brands. One effective way for brands to reach consumers is through sales channels that focus on experiences instead of products.
Collapse All
-
Executive summary
- Key points covered in this Report
- Overview
- Global market overview
- Global trends in luxury travel
- Overview of the Japanese market and consumers
- Travel-related products and consumers’ everyday lives
- Opportunities in the Japanese market
- Focus on luxury elements + mental wellness in Asia
- Rare, unique products closely linked to experiences and localities
- Pioneering new approach routes
-
Global market overview
- Travel is a life priority
- Graph 1: life milestones achieved and future priorities – travelling to a dream destination, 2025
- GDPs of major markets recovered to pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 2: real GDP growth, annual percent change (includes projections), 2010-26
- Consumer spending exceeds pre-COVID-19 levels
- Graph 3: final consumption expenditure, 2016-23
- Global market trends in luxury travel
- Travel unit prices rise, shift toward luxury progresses
- UK travel market almost recovered to pre-COVID levels
- Graph 4: trends in inbound and outbound traveller numbers, 2010–23
- Graph 5: trends in inbound travel revenue and outbound travel expenditure, 2010-23
- In the UK, per capita spending and income rise, shift towards luxury
- Graph 6: trends in per capita inbound revenue and outbound expenditure, 2010-23
- In Germany, travel-related spending reaches a new historical high
- Graph 7: travel-related expenditure, 2019-24
- Germany’s airport user numbers on road to recovery
- Graph 8: airport user numbers, 2017-24
- In Germany too, travel quality shifts towards luxury
- Graph 9: average travel days, 2019-24
- Graph 10: number of cruise travellers, 2020-24
- US in/outbound traveller numbers recover to near pre-COVID-19 levels
- Graph 11: inbound and outbound numbers, 2019-24
- In and outbound travel spending in the US both exceed pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 12: travel-related spending, by inbound or outbound, 2017-24
- American travellers go for destinations in different cultural spheres
- Graph 13: outbound destination distribution, 2019-24
- British travellers also seek destinations beyond the West
- Graph 14: outbound destination distribution, 2019-23
- UK travellers increasingly head for NZ, Hong Kong, and Japan
- Graph 15: number of UK travellers by destination, 2023
- Wealth concentration is advancing
- 2024 was the year of the revival of luxury travel
- Globally, income tends to concentrate among high-income earners
- Graph 16: share of income held by the top 1% of earners, 1980-2023
- Wealth concentration in the US further advancing
- Graph 17: income share of the top 1% and top 10% of earners, 2000-23
- Top 1% of wealthiest individuals account for 13% of consumption
- Graph 18: ratio of travel expenditure and number of travellers, 2016
- Rise in new products related to travel + luxury
- More new products use travel as a keyword
- Graph 19: products that include the term ‘travel’, 2015-24
- Claims include on-the-go for travel, moisturising and ethical
- Graph 20: top 10 claims for travel-related products, 2022-24
- Travel and luxury increased significantly in 2024
- Graph 21: new products that use the terms ‘travel’ and ‘luxury’, 2015-24
- Fragrance, makeup and skincare claiming travel and luxury
- Graph 22: proportions of products that include ‘travel’ and ‘luxury’, by product category, 2022-24
- Ethical and efficacy claims abound in new luxury products
- Graph 23: top 10 claims for products that include ‘travel’ and ‘luxury’, 2022-2024
- Luxury products with added bonus benefits
-
Global trends
- Global trends in luxury travel
- Bespoke travel emphasising experiences
- Bespoke travel: lost money can be recouped, but lost time cannot
- Seeking experiences through travel
- Experiences should be customised
- Choosing luxury experiences over luxury goods
- Customisation and experiences are emphasised in Germany too
- Graph 24: behaviours towards holidays, 2025
- Private luxury over a five-star hotel
- Customised, unique experiences on offer
- Consumers seek authentic souvenirs to relive their travel
- Sustainable travel
- Sustainability awareness is high
- Sustainability in travel is shifting from nice-to-have to prerequisite
- Graph 25: selected activities to do on holiday, 2025
- Sustainability is generally important in luxury travel
- Sustainable tours not just about the environment: coexisting with indigenous people
- Luxury travel is inseparable from sustainability
- Initiatives to promote sustainable behaviour
- Wellbeing travel
- Retreat becomes the focus of luxury travel
- Few consumers have yet experienced wellness travel, but interest is high
- Graph 26: past experience and future interest in health/wellness travel, 2023
- Promote wellness through nature
- Physical and mental health are important considerations for consumers
- Luxury travel offering wellness
- Not just a spa, levelled up luxury wellness
- Luxury travel avoids overtourism
- Global overtourism
- Traveller behaviour is also being affected
- Due to overtourism, tourist destinations welcome luxury travel
-
Japanese market overview
- Notable aspects of luxury travel in Japan
- Travel demand is recovering and shifting toward luxury
- Business sentiment in Japan’s accommodation and foodservice ahead of the curve
- Graph 27: Bank of Japan’s Tankan business condition index trends, 2023-25
- Severe staff shortages in accommodation and foodservice industries
- Graph 28: Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey – Employment Personnel Status Trends, 2023-25
- Japan’s wealth gap is large even compared to rest of the world
- Graph 29: ratio of the top 10% to the bottom 10% in disposable income, 2012-21
- Japan’s travel spend tops pre-COVID level in 2024
- Graph 30: travel expenditure, 2018-24
- Travel in Japan is shifting toward luxe: trip unit price is rising
- Graph 31: trends in total number of travellers and cost per trip per person, 2018-24
- Power families spend on travel
- Inbound tourists’ spending is less than a quarter
- Graph 32: percentage of travel expenditure (includes inbound tourists), 2024
- Sustainability awareness is low, but wellness is an important factor
- Japanese consumers’ travel sustainability awareness is low
- Sustainable tourism in Japan develops on three fronts
- Graph 33: shifts in environmental values, 2023-25
- Overtourism promotes sustainable tourism
- Japan’s wellness tourism
- Medical tourism
- The higher the income, the more important mental health becomes
- Sustainable examples of luxury and wellness
- Sustainable hotels focused on wellness
- Luxury travel is sold via new routes
- New sales channels for luxury travel
- Marketing to luxury travellers
-
Japanese consumer insights
- Survey Overview
- Characteristics of luxury travel
- Luxury travel requires a sense of luxury
- What consumers see as luxury is the accommodation and meals
- Graph 34: reasons for luxury travel, 2025
- Luxury elements are important even for high income earners
- Graph 35: reasons for luxury travel, by household income, 2025
- High demand for luxury experiences: sustainability isn’t a high priority
- Graph 36: preferred ways to spend JPY200,000, 2025
- Luxury and wellness are prioritised in travel, with sustainability ranked lower
- Graph 37: attitudes to travel, 2025
- Travel differs from daily life on the sustainability front
- Graph 38: selected thoughts on travel, by daily life behaviours, 2025
- Not many consumers with sustainable habits prioritise sustainability when travelling
- Graph 39: preferred ways to spend JPY200,000, by selected daily behaviours, 2025
- Wellness is not the primary purpose of luxury travel, but a secondary one
- Most luxury travel and best trips are within Japan
- Japan ranks highest when it comes to luxury travel destinations
- Graph 40: number of luxury trips*, by destination, 2025
- Japan’s domestic luxury travellers also go abroad
- Graph 41: destinations of luxury travel, 2025
- Graph 42: Japanese domestic luxury travellers’ overseas travel destinations, 2025
- Reasons for luxury travel unique to each destination
- Graph 43: selected reasons for luxury travel, by destination, 2025
- The best destination was Japan
- Graph 44: best destination, 2025
- Emotionally-enriching experiences stand out as reason for best travel
- Graph 45: reasons for considering travel as luxury or considering a trip the best, 2025
- Luxury and what is seen as the best vary greatly by region
- Graph 46: selected reasons for luxury travel and best trips, 2025
- Most consumers have bought travel-related products
- High proportion have bought travel-related products
- Graph 47: purchase experience rate of travel-related products, 2025
- The younger the age group, the more likely to have bought travel goods
- Graph 48: purchase experience rate of travel-related products, by age group, 2025
- Products purchased on trips include food, bags and shoes
- Graph 49: experience rate of travel-related products, by item, 2025
- Women more influenced by brand exposure during travel
- Graph 50: selected experience rates of travel-related products, by item and gender, 2025
- Buying and using products during travel leads to using and buying at home
- Graph 51: selected purchasing trends of consumers who bought products during travel, 2025
- Everyday habits linked to travel purchasing behaviour
- Daily behaviours involve measures for physical health
- Graph 52: behaviours in daily life, 2025
- High-end brand users oriented toward luxury and shopping in everyday life
- Graph 53: reasons for luxury travel, by daily behaviours, 2025
- Consumers who use personal shoppers are active in purchasing, passive when it comes to travel
- Overlap between actively buying groups
- Everyday use of luxury brands and personal shoppers means active purchasing of travel-related products
- Graph 54: number of product types purchased, by daily life behaviours, 2025
- Bespoke, personal shopper clients buy BPC: luxury brand lovers buy bags
- Graph 55: selected product types purchased before, during or after travel, by daily life behaviours, 2025
-
Opportunities in the Japanese market
- Three market opportunities
- Focus on luxury elements + mental wellness
- Luxury elements still the most important factor
- Wellness centres mental over physical
- Mental wellness in Japan and Asia
- Wellness from East Asia
- Sustainability is the icing on the cake
- Unique products closely linked to travel experiences and the local region
- Products to remind consumers of their travel experiences
- Travel and FMCG brand collaborations
- Travel brand launches an FMCG brand
- Brands provide travel experiences
- Selling as location exclusive is an effective method
- Luxury brand events
- Pioneering new approach routes
- Selling luxury experiences and products through the same routes
- Luxury concierge abroad
- Product-experience combinations
-
APPENDIX
- Consumer survey methodology
Market Intelligence Made EasierWith Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
At Jackman, we believe that powerful strategies are based on human insight. Mintel’s leading-edge reports and insights into consumer attitudes and behaviors are an important input as we develop and execute strategy.
Alana Gavin, VP Research and Insights, Jackman
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
