This Is What Sells Luxury Travel | Luxury Escapes | Thinc Indonesia | Paul Gorman
Kota Kinabalu PortAustralia CountryFiji CountryIndonesia CountryMalaysia CountryNew Zealand CountrySamoa CountrySolomon Islands CountryThailand CountryVietnam CountryLangkawi PortLombok (Lembar) Port
Travel And Tour World sits down with Paul Gorman, General Manager of Business Development and Head of Golf at Luxury Escapes, at the Sofitel on Seminyak Beach, Bali, for an exclusive interview on luxury travel trends and strategy. Founded in 2013, Luxury Escapes is an e-commerce travel platform specializing in the upper mid-to-luxury hotel market, delivering curated experiences around the globe via luxuryescapes.com. Paul explains that Luxury Escapes is fundamentally a storytelling business, focused not just on the who, what, where, and how of travel, but on the "why", creating inspiration and aspiration that motivates people to explore destinations they may never have considered. He shares how the company builds strategic partnerships with resort operators and golf course partners by understanding hotelier needs, from new source markets to occupancy and rate goals, and crafting packages that deliver value to both hoteliers and consumers. The interview highlights Luxury Escapes' innovation in all-inclusive packages, such as their offering with the Grand Hyatt in Bali, giving travellers cost certainty while keeping guests engaged on-property longer. With around 12 million subscribers globally, primarily from Australia and New Zealand and growing in the US, Luxury Escapes caters to a wide range of travellers, from multi-generational families and weddings to solo travellers, using AI-driven merchandising to match the right products to the right audience. Paul also discusses how wellness, fine dining, and lifestyle experiences are integrated into travel packages, and shares insights on emerging destinations across Indonesia and the broader ASEAN region, including Lombok, Sumba, Da Nang in Vietnam, southern Thailand, and an "underrated" Malaysia, alongside growing South Pacific markets like Fiji, Samoa, Palau, and Micronesia. He emphasizes the critical role air capacity plays in driving destination demand, and closes with a discussion on sustainable tourism, cautioning against the risks of overtourism as the industry continues to grow. Points Covered: 1. Introduction to Paul Gorman and Luxury Escapes, an e-commerce luxury travel platform founded in 2013 2. Focus on the upper mid-to-luxury hotel market via luxuryescapes.com 3. Storytelling as the company's core strategy, focusing on the "why" behind travel 4. Strategic partnerships with resort operators and golf course partners 5. Innovation in all-inclusive packages, including the Grand Hyatt Bali offering 6. Global subscriber base of around 12 million, primarily from Australia, New Zealand, and growing in the US 7. Catering to multi-generational families, weddings, and solo travellers 8. Use of AI for personalized product merchandising Integration of wellness, fine dining, and lifestyle experiences into travel packages 9. Insights on high net worth traveller behavior and experience-driven travel trends 10. Emerging destinations in Indonesia and ASEAN: Lombok, Sumba, Da Nang, southern Thailand, Malaysia 10. Growing South Pacific tourism markets: Fiji, Samoa, Palau, Micronesia 11. Importance of air capacity and airlift in driving destination demand Discussion on sustainable tourism and the risks of overtourism About Travel And Tour World: Travel And Tour World is a global travel media platform covering travel, tourism, hospitality, aviation, MICE, cruise, and luxury travel, with readership across 195 countries. [Luxury Escapes, luxury travel platform, luxury travel deals, luxury travel trends, luxury hotel market, luxury resort deals, travel storytelling, destination marketing, travel inspiration, all-inclusive package, luxury all-inclusive resort, Grand Hyatt Bali, multi-generational family travel, luxury wedding destination, solo luxury travel, AI personalized travel, high net worth travel, experiential luxury travel, wellness travel, luxury wellness resort, fine dining travel package, Bali travel, Lombok travel, Sumba Indonesia, Da Nang Vietnam, Phu Quoc Vietnam, southern Thailand travel, Malaysia luxury travel, Langkawi travel, Kota Kinabalu travel, Fiji travel, Solomon Islands tourism, Palau travel, Micronesia tourism, air capacity tourism growth, sustainable tourism, overtourism, responsible luxury travel, Paul Gorman interview, travel industry interview] #TravelAndTourWorld #luxuryescapes #luxurytravel #balitravel #wellnesstravel #sustainabletourism #asean #vietnamtravel #malaysiatravel #southpacific #travelindustry #tourismnews #luxuryhotels #experientialtravel