Virtuoso hails 'record sales' at annual travel conference

Luxury travel agency network Virtuoso has seen a 211% increase in sales for the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019.

Global sales for the first half of the year are also up 14.3% compared to 2023 – a year described as “very robust” by the brand.

The network comprises more than 1,200 agencies across 58 countries and 2,300 preferred partners.

“We matched up our sales with Tourism Economics’ global leisure sales numbers and you can see that post pandemic, not only are we hitting record sales, but we're growing faster than the industry [average] and increasing our overall relevance and value to our preferred partners,” executive vice-president David Kolner (pictured) told delegates during the opening ceremony of the network’s 36th annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.

He added: “One area of sales that really stands out is long-term future bookings. Sales for travel one to two years out is pacing 38% higher than 2023.”

Kolner also reported a “levelling off” of rising hotel rates, with average daily rates for Virtuoso’s preferred hotel partners increasing by 1.4% on average in the first half of 2024.

Speaking at a press conference for media, vice-president of global public relations, Misty Belles, earmarked ‘coolcations’ as a growing trend among travellers, claiming a rise in bookings for cool-weather destinations such as Iceland, Finland, Norway and Canada for summer 2024.

She said: “You [can] see [from the data that] Canada and Scandinavia [are] upwardly strong. Overall, these cool destinations are up 44% [compared to 2023] while some of those warm-weather destinations are down about half a percent.

“However, I will say, warm-weather destinations still out-sell the cool-weather destinations overall by 10 to one.”

Belles’ said Virtuoso was seeing “a shift to fall travel”, with destinations such as the US, Italy, France, Mexico and the UK performing well globally for the network in the autumn period.

“I think fall is the new summer. We're seeing that bookings are up, but we're also seeing that the rates are following as well,” she said.

The network’s data also highlighted a move towards so-called “silver bullet wellness” and “mood boarding”, where travellers are influenced by emotional drivers such as curiosity and exploration, joy and happiness, and awe and wonder.

“Mood boarding is really about how people want to feel on their travels, versus what they want to do while they're there,” Belles said.

She added: “Passion-led travel is another big category for us, from fandom, whether it's the Olympics, Taylor Swift or the Formula One, to what we have called ‘F-it’ lists, which are like bucket lists, but if a bucket list is what you want to do before you die, this is what you want to do here and now in the moment.”

Data also showed 89% of advisors had seen an uptick in ultra-luxury travel, with expedition cruises and safaris proving popular. Cruising is up 52% year-over-year for Virtuoso, with river cruising up “significantly”, alongside growth in expedition and ocean cruising.