How to Tell the Difference Between Luxury and Affluent Travelers


Skift Take

The quick takeaway: Not all wealthy U.S. travelers travel the same way.

Every year, MMGY Global produces its Portrait of American Travelers. The 2017-2018 study is being released later this month, but Skift got an early peek at the findings covering the luxury sector. We spoke with Craig Compagnone, MMGY's senior vice president of business strategy. "As an industry, we typically get so focused on high income or net worth as a measure of the luxury traveler," says Compagnone. "But just because someone makes X amount a year doesn't make them a luxury traveler. Not all affluent people are luxury travelers." MMGY looks at what people actually spend on luxury tra