Freedom from crowds, open spaces, open seas… these are priorities of travellers in the post-pandemic world as they try to make up for lost time.
Cue luxury, ultra-luxury and expedition cruising, according to analysis by luxury cruise retailer, Panache Cruises.
James Cole, founder and managing director of Panache Cruises said, “Following the pandemic, we have seen a shift in the priorities of travellers across the wider travel sector as people become more crowd conscious and move away from mass-market style holidays.
“When translated into the cruise sector, this is driving more interest in small ship cruising due to smaller passenger numbers and the fact that small ships often offer 50% more personal space per person compared to the largest cruise ships.
“We will also see a much higher number of expedition-focused vessels coming down slipways in the next few years as more people demand bucket list experiences post-pandemic.”
Cole said people were trying to make up for lost time and were prepared to spend more to reach the destinations they really want to visit.
“All those cancelled holidays during the pandemic have given a lot of people more buying power in the post-pandemic world and we are seeing more and more people switching to higher cabin grades and longer itineraries as a result.
“If anything, travel has become more important in the post-pandemic world,” Cole added.