Travel could become ‘elitist’ due to increasing prices, warn tourist operators
Specialist travel agencies are concerned that travel is becoming “elitist” due to the rising cost of tourist fees and the levies imposed for visiting certain destinations.
During a panel debate at the launch of Aito – The Specialist Travel Association 2025 travel insights report in London, travel agents discussed how rising visitor costs across the globe could impact travellers and their ability to access certain activities and destinations.
James Westrip, the co-founder and director of travel agency Africa Collection said that the increasing fees to see animals in the wild is making various trips out of reach for many holidaymakers.
“My concern is that it will become elitist and I don’t believe that’s what travel should be,” he said, reported Travel Weekly.
“You already restrict locals from going into the national parks,” he added. “We have to be careful to strike the correct balance between tourism and conservation concerns, with the knock-on effect of precluding some potential customers due to price.”
Mr Westrip followed with examples of park entry fees, such as for Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve which will see non-residents paying $100 (£80) per adult per day for the first half of 2025, then doubling to $200 (£160) per adult per day from 1 July onwards.
He also drew attention to the cost of Gorilla tracking permits in Rwanda, which costs $1,500 (£1,204) per person per day.
Other operators at the panel discussion also cited the €5 (£4.17) daily visitor tax introduced in Venice last year as an example of mounting costs tourists have to consider.
However, Sara Zimmerman, the non-executive director of escorted tours operator Travel Department, suggested that if people really had their hearts set on visiting Venice, the tourist tax would not deter them.
Yet she did note that other less well-known areas or destinations that are not as popular have been increasing in demand.
“What we are seeing is people are interested in exciting, off-the-beaten-track places,” she said, according to the website.
“Puglio [sic] in Italy is growing at a faster rate than Rome for example so it’s [a case of] finding places people have not been to that are accessible and have cultural highlights.”
The Aito 2025 travel insights report focused on the specialist travel sector, which can be defined as bespoke holidays run by experts dedicated to certain destinations and activities, with travellers usually paying a premium price for personal service and tailor-made experiences.
Specialist travel holidays are usually more expensive than holidays provided by mass-market holiday companies.
After receiving almost 14,000 responses, the majority from the UK, based on the databases of 37 specialist travel companies, more than 61 per cent confirmed spending in excess of £2,500 per person on specialist holidays.
Only 40 per cent said they would consider themselves well off or very well off, yet the majority (83 per cent) say that travel is an important part of their lifestyle, with the report noting that Brits will cut back on other expenditures to ensure they can have a holiday.
The report also states that 80 per cent are also prepared to pay more for a better experience.
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