Why The Nation and Other Magazines Look to Luxury Travel to Pay the Bills
Photo Caption: The Nation magazine has had success selling high-end trips to destinations including Cuba to its readers.
Skift Take
Each of these media brands is different, but they have the same thing in common: well-heeled readers who will pay a premium to travel together.
Affinity travel is an under-recognized part of the luxury travel spectrum. Alumni associations, non-profit organizations and cultural institutions often sell travel as a way to cultivate donors and to raise money. Recently, affinity travel has been bleeding into the journalism arena, which itself has been bleeding cash for years.
Janet Moore, owner of affinity tour operator Distant Horizons, says it’s a logical business for certain publications to consider. "The tours add a much-needed revenue stream for special interest magazines that already have a ready-made audience--subscribers--for their programs,” says Moore. Additionally, reporters on staff can lend expertise, either on tour or pre-tour. Planners can work with reporters to
