PURE Life Experiences Leads a Radical Shift in the Travel Industry: 85% of Travel Operators Agree That "Experiences" Are 7 Times More Important Than "Price" in the Differentiation of Their Offering

    LONDON, ENGLAND, March 16, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Experts in the travel industry are progressively turning towards Experiential Travel and Transformational Travel to stand out in a much too undifferentiated, fusional and standardised world. A recent survey created by PURE confirms this trend: travel experts provided insightful information on the new challenges that operators in the industry will soon be facing and on how it is going to be all about the "experience". For the complete report, visit http://ww.purelifeexperiences.com/pureinsights.pdf.

According to the survey, 96.5% of Experiential suppliers agree that authentic experiences, which blend with their natural and social environment, are the new business imperative in travel. 97% of these travel experts believe that Experiential and Transformational Travel, as defined by PURE (see note for the editors), will be the most sought after form of travel for wealthy educated people. It's not about pampering clients anymore, or even about allowing them to spend conspicuously. It's about transforming them and the way they interact with the surrounding world.

In differentiating their offering, 72.9% of Experiential Suppliers and 64.6% of Private Travel Designers agree that Experiences are key as they allow the creation of customer engagement, leading to self-discovery. For travel experts, Experiences are 7 times more relevant than any other factor, including staging (atmosphere, customer crowd and ambiance), great service and hardware (hotels, lodges). Moreover, Experiential Suppliers claim that 89% of a remarkable transformational travel offering is NOT about the price, and Private Travel Designers confirm that over 85% of their clients' vacation is not based on price.

Furthermore, when it comes to choosing which experience will enrich their lives, over 40% of travellers seek to gain cultural knowledge and to connect with foreign cultures, 20% feel the need to connect with nature, 15% can't wait to embark on explorative adventures whilst 10% are more concerned with reaching self-discovery.

PURE Life Experiences has been the first networking platform to acknowledge this shift in the industry, proudly gathering since 2009 the world's most inspiring creators of life enriching experiences to network and share experiences, both within the online community and during the yearly event held in Marrakech. PURE works by invitation only and revises delegate membership on a yearly basis in order to ensure that only the most inspirational are a part of the community.

"Admission to the PURE network and show in November is by invitation only, because we want to make sure that only the most inspirational operators in the Experiential and Transformational travel industries join our community. We select operators who, like us, believe that 'Experiential Travel' is about being remarkable, because being very good is no longer good enough," says Serge Dive, CEO and founder of PURE.

Despite the extremely selective criteria, PURE is the fastest growing travel community: in 2011, in just 6 weeks, one company per every working hour has confirmed their attendance at the show in November in Marrakech. At this rate, places are forecast to have sold out by mid May 2011.

The strength of the PURE community relies on the passion for bespoke experiences, the mutual respect of its members and on the high business productivity that the intimate atmosphere guarantees, both online and during the event in Marrakech. Laurielle Penny, a Private Travel Designer from WorldWideQuest and PUREist since 2010, confirms: "I have returned from PURE Life Experiences inspired, encouraged and enabled! I have not only learned from exhibitors and colleagues from around the world, I have acquired the tools needed to make experiences happen for my clients". George Dominic, Executive Director at SwaSwara, CGH Earth and also a PUREist, adds: "PURE has brought our organisation closer to people whom I would never have been able to meet and the keen interest it has been able to generate among many of the buyers is valued more than our investment for this show. However, even more remarkable was the opportunity for me to meet and understand about products and services of fellow sellers from distant lands and learn so much that will help us take our products to the next level".

Business productivity ranks high at PURE, with over 92% of attending selected suppliers rating return on investment on their participation to PURE either good, very good or excellent. 71.1% of attending Private Travel Designers confirmed placing up to 15 bookings as a direct result of the show, and some have reached peaks well over 25 bookings.

Finally, 95% of our selected suppliers said that PURE will have a positive impact on their business (of these, 67% defined it "very important" and over 12% "crucial"). Similarly, 100% of surveyed Private Travel Designers rated the impact positive, with 64% defining it "very important" and 16.7% "crucial".

ABOUT THE EVENT IN MARRAKECH:
After two successful editions in 2009 and 2010, Beyond Luxury Media Ltd, led by Serge Dive and Sarah Ball, embarks on the 3rd edition of PURE Life Experiences, which will take place from 1st to 4th November 2011.

Delegates will have up to 42 pre-scheduled meetings, benefit from free networking breaks during the show to meet people outside of their appointments and enjoy the evening parties set in mystical places in Marrakech.

Opening the 3-day event will be the PURE Conference on 1st November 2011, aimed to inspire delegates on future trends and experiential travel best practices.

PURE is about creating memorable, shared experiences that will form a bond, facilitating business relationships for all delegates. What makes PURE Life Experiences even more an experience to remember is the magical setting: Marrakech, a true place of fascination for hedonists and idealists.

Exhibiting life enriching experience suppliers will include:
- lodges, retreats and unique hotels
- discovery journeys
- wilderness experiences
- explorative adventure
- gastronomic & cultural escapes
- philanthropic travel
- health and wellness

Private Travel Designers attending this exclusive gathering will include only senior decision-making buyers that have a proven track record in producing for the very specific and specialised segment of the Experiential and Transformational Travel market. Only FIT buyers representing travel agencies & tour operators will be admitted, whilst no incentive or business travel companies will be invited.

Note for the Editors:
Experiential travel, as defined by the organisers, is:
'A journey away from home, involving a truly memorable and powerful experience (active, cultural, natural, social or spiritual) that will enrich a person's life and improve the way they connect with both loved ones and with the world'.

Contact:
Elena Minardi, Marketing Manager: [email protected] t: +44 203 176 4626

Learn more about PURE on:
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http://www.purelifeexperiences.com

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