Skift Take
These specific examples won't all survive, but they speak to the next solution to travelers' needs and the failure of traditional travel agents to evolve.
Overwhelmed by options, luxury travellers are increasingly entrusting experts to decide and plan every component of their holidays.
As travel becomes more accessible, many today look to the internet to help them discover new and exciting holiday options. Yet, the seemingly endless degree of choice available means that time-starved luxury travellers are willing to give away responsibility for deciding their holidays to others – in the quest for truly rarified experiences, it makes sense for discerning holidaymakers to enjoy a travel experience hand-selected by a trustworthy holiday operator.
Six-year-old luxury travel operator Black Tomato, which specialises in piecing together unique tailor-made experiences for its customers, recorded a £14 million annual turnover in 2012. In addition to planning the usual holiday itinerary - flights, accommodation, etc - Black Tomato prides itself on meeting customers’ every minor need or desire. This can be anything from compiling a selection of songs on an iTunes playlist for the traveller to listen to while away to providing a film for the traveller to watch once back home and faced with the post-holiday blues.
If one of the purpos
