UN Tourism welcomed high-level officials from the National Tourism Administrations of 20 Asia-Pacific countries to redefine luxury tourism and explore common paths to growing the sector.

Organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Sarawak with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the 18th UN Tourism Asia-Pacific Executive Training Programme on Tourism Policy and Strategy (Kuching, Malaysia, 28-31 October 2024) focused on luxury tourism growth across the region, taking into consideration the level of socioeconomic development, available natural and human resources and sustainability advancement and planning of each country.

Setting the scene for the training, the UN Tourism Forum on Luxury Tourism Market started with a keynote presentation from the UN Tourism Consultant, Angeline Tang, followed by a panel discussion gathering high-level representatives from the public, private and academic sectors involved in luxury tourism and in tourism development policies at the national, regional or global level. 

Investments and marketing to grow luxury tourism

The executive training programme featured 4 interactive sessions, each focused on a key theme to build up a comprehensive approach of successful luxury tourism development strategies in the post-pandemic era. These included a deep dive into destination management strategies and marketing and promotion targeting luxury tourism; the core importance of personalized customer experience and service excellence; and investment guidelines for luxury tourism development.

Across the three days, experts presented and shared experiences on destination management, marketing promotion, customer experience and investment strategies in luxury tourism. The participants took this opportunity to highlight their respective countries' key assets and arising opportunities, as well as their administrations' efforts to tackle the challenges for the implementation of successful luxury tourism policy and strategies. 

In particular, Member States agreed that each destination should rely on its own assets to develop a unique luxury tourism brand identity, by using digital marketing and AI and date insights.

Meaningful and exclusive experiences

The discussions between participants, speakers and UN Tourism Consultant also underscored the importance of human resources in luxury tourism, especially as human connection and interventions were recognised as essentials for luxury travellers.  Mere opulence on luxury tourism is not enough: meaningful experiences including exclusive, personalize and sustainable aspects arranged in every steps of the luxury traveller journey are essential.

At the same time, policymakers would need to adopt a long-term strategic approach that identifies investment opportunities and enhances tourism capacities, positioning themselves as enablers. Investment in luxury tourism means strong brand equity and diverse revenue streams, especially when incorporating sustainable investment practices and quality tourism standards that help ensure long term environmental and cultural preservation.