Although technical skills such as accounting, financial analysis, and marketing are crucial for hospitality & tourism managers, soft skills play a vital role in excelling in this people-centric industry.

Winkreative’s Perspectives series shares our view on brand and business – the changing audiences, emerging trends and timeless tactics you need to understand to stand out from the crowd. In this article, we explore how luxury hospitality brands must change the way they think and act to attract a new type of consumer.

The perception of what is luxurious in hospitality is ever evolving. What trends in luxury today provide an insight to the future for the wider accommodation community? More specifically, how is the luxury leisure sector responding to serve evolving guests’ needs?

Europe’s tourism industry is experiencing a robust recovery in the first months of 2024. Based on data from reporting destinations, foreign arrivals (+7.2%) and overnights (+6.5%) in the first quarter of the year surpassed 2019 figures. This continues the upward trend observed in 2023, which recorded foreign arrivals 1.2% below 2019 levels, and nights just 0.2% below. The recovery is largely driven by strong intra-regional travel fuelled by Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. This is coupled with demand from the US, which continues to be Europe’s most important long-haul source market.