Family vacations with customised activities for kids and adults have been growing in popularity (Photo: India Outbound)
The upscale luxury independent travel to Europe will continue to grow in 2023 as strongly as in 2022 when it reached commanding heights, says American travel firm Eurobound, that has forecast an even busier year ahead. However, the firm also warns customers to book early due to rush for upscale hotels that are seeing record bookings early on in the year.
“Many hotels are already booked up for 2023 high season. Clients should not delay confirming their trips or they may risk being left out completely,” says Brigitte Armand, President, Eurobound.
With travel emerging from the pandemic, the emphasis is on more traditional destinations and slightly less on adventure travel, according to Jeff Roy, Eurobound’s vice president of sales & marketing. Food and wine will continue to be major attractions as people look to indulge themselves, according to Roy. But he cautions that high hotel prices and avoiding crowds will be client concerns. He suggests that travel advisors prepare their clients for sticker shock. “Hotel prices have risen considerably, and clients may not be as willing to trade up,” he says.
According to a press statement, honeymoon, anniversary and family vacations are trending this year. “And with the resurgence of cruising, requests for pre- and post-cruise arrangements are increasing,” he says. Classical destinations, especially Italy, France and Switzerland, continue to be the most popular for Eurobound as people reignite their passion for travel, says the statement.
Traditional European combinations and the grand tour of Europe are back in style. The statement has listed destination pairings such as Paris and London, Ireland and Scotland, Spain and Portugal, Germany and Austria, and Switzerland and Austria. Within countries, popular trios are Rome, Florence, and Venice in Italy; Athens, Mykonos and Santorini in Greece; and Paris in combinations with Champagne, Bordeaux, Normandy, or the French Riviera in France, says Eurobound.
Family vacations with customised activities for kids and adults have been growing in popularity, for example, a two-week holiday for four centered around the Swiss and Italian Alps. The itinerary begins in Milan and ends in Geneva, with suite accommodations for four throughout, train transportation, private tours and transfers.
The statement says that priced at USD 14,995 per person, the vacation features the Gotthard Panorama Express from Lugano to Lucerne, a six-day Swiss Travel Pass in first class, a ride on the world’s steepest cog railway to Mt. Pilatus, tobogganing, a chocolate workshop and paragliding in Interlaken, and a full-day guided hike in Grindelwald.
