We hear that the economy is not at its best, but what I hear from my clients is that they're ready to travel, and most are looking for an upgraded, luxury experience. They are not thinking small. When it comes to cruises, they're not starting with a $399 cruise. People are still investing in themselves, and they know that family time is the most important time. In other words, they're valuing life, and they're paying to get the most out of it.
I'm seeing bucket-list travel, history travel. Most of the requests I receive are for what I call exotic destinations. Africa is hot. My clients are not hesitant to spend $1,800 for a flight to Ghana that used to cost $900. I just returned from Kenya and Ethiopia, and I've had a lot of people interested in those destinations. Safaris are very popular. And Dubai has not lost its appeal -- everybody loves Dubai. It's the playground of the world
Bali is still popular, but not just by itself. We're always packaging it with other destinations. Some people want a quick trip there for the photography. Social media is still a driver -- people look at where they want to go in terms of their Instagram or Facebook possibilities. We hired a younger staff for social media postings, and that really, really helped. And I've been sending my younger agents to different conferences to learn more about the future of technology, to make sure we're up to date on AI.
But really, social media is the key. Influencers are, in a sense, competition. Their followers may get curious but then book on their own. We follow influencers and advocate for the professionalism that we bring.
Last year was pretty amazing in terms of bookings, and I anticipate 2024 will be parallel. I don't see a huge increase for the first and second quarters, but we set our bar higher because our vendors are setting their bars higher, and we use their expectations as gauges for where we should be and what we need to do to increase sales. Although I'm not yet seeing increases over last year, I'm hoping that's because things are just pushing out a little further. This is the time people would be booking for next year, and we'd see it in bookings for February through May. But things seem to be pushing back to the third quarter, June through August.
The crisis in the Middle East has not impacted bookings in that region for me. I've had people say, "I need to go to Egypt." We still have groups that are preparing to go there.
This year, I'm finally going to Croatia, and I'm going to explore more into Italy. And, of course, I'm going to these wonderful destinations in the Caribbean. I'm doing Carnival in Trinidad this year. And I'm excited about all the new flights to the Caribbean, super excited that St. Kitts, St. Lucia, others are going to be so readily available. I'll be going to St. Kitts. I still get excited about new growth in the industry, new opportunities.
There was a time when people would travel and just take photos of the villagers or people who they thought represented that particular destination. And I always thought, "These people are not props. They're not just the part of the destination that you photograph and take home." My love for travel and the experiences where I have gone deeper into a destination have impacted my life and my children's lives. Travel is such an asset, and everyone needs to have an opportunity to appreciate cultures, everywhere in the world. So, I founded a nonprofit, Young People Travel/Global Edge.
The students I take abroad not only visit different countries but take a deep dive into what it's like to live there, what it's like to have a business there, to go to school there. We're going to Ghana with them in July and staying at a women's university, on campus, and experiencing that. It's not only giving them a new window to look out of, and new conversations, but also experiences that will impact them for years to come. And if they eventually go back and help people there, that will bring their whole community service to another level.
That's what the world is about. Americans are a privileged community, and a community that travels. We can travel and give and love and want the best for the people we meet who may not have it as good as we have it.
This interview was conducted by Arnie Weissmann.