Virtuoso bookings are through the roof. Canada and Japan are hot destinations. And travel advisors remain in great demand.
As part of their annual Travel Week in Las Vegas, with more than 4,700 advisors from 97 countries in attendance, Virtuoso on 12AUG held a media event to highlight travel trends and update their advisors on what’s new in the world of travel. The session touched on hot (and cool) destinations, the value of travel advisors, solo women travel, and top travel trends such as sustainability, the continuing appeal of multi-generational travel and world hotel rates.
Misty Belles, Vice President, Global Public Relations, said Virtuoso has 20,000 advisors, more than one-half of them outside the U.S.
“Travel advisors are in high demand right now,” she said. “They have been for a while, but that continues to really grow. And that’s because we have two forces coming together. We have demand for travel that is incredibly high, and we have travellers who can afford it or who will afford it.
“The pandemic really brought forward the value of the advisor from the advocacy standpoint. There were so many unknowns, and you really wanted someone who had your back.
“Now that travel has come just roaring back, it’s having someone who has that access as well, who can get you into the places you want to be and can get you those experiences when there are so many other people fighting and looking for the same thing,” she said.
“We’ve always said that advice, access, accountability, advocacy, value, time savings, that those are important factors that you just can’t replicate on line or any other way than using a Virtuoso advisor. I’ll also add trust to that as well. As AI becomes more ubiquitous, having that trusted advisor relationship with an actual human becomes more valuable than ever.”
Belles said there’s been a 76% increase in the number of people looking for a Virtuoso advisor on their website this year.
She also noted that the industry has gone from travel at any costs to travel at all costs.
“We saw those rates go up and up and up, and now we’re seeing travel at all costs, where people are determined to have the experience they want, regardless of what the price is.”
Belles said this year has been “absolutely amazing” for Virtuoso, with sales up 211% over 2019. Sales for the first half of this year are running 14% higher than 2023, “which was a very robust year.”
WHAT’S HOT
Belles said we’ve seen the return of Japan, and now we’re starting to see the return of China and other parts of Asia.
Top 10 countries for fall travel for Virtuoso bookings are, in order, the U.S., Italy, France, Mexico, the UK, Spain, Saint Bart’s, Portugal, Canada and Japan.
“Canada is having a great year, up 168%” Belles said. Japan is up 160% and St. Bart’s up 155%.
Greece, Ireland and South Africa made the top 10 last year, but failed to make this year’s list, she said.
For Canadians using Virtuoso advisors, the top five countries for the fall are the U.S., Italy, France, Canada and Japan. For the U.S., the top five are the U.S., Italy, Mexico, France and the U.K.
Interest in China is up 146%, while Japan interest has jumped 108% and Iceland 72%. Interest in French Polynesia is up 60%, UK and Ireland are up 33%, and Australia interest is up 18%.
The top cities for travel (with hotel rates) are as follows:
1. Paris (rates up 12% over 2023)
2. London (rates up 2%)
3. New York (rates up 32%)
4. Rome (rates up 16%)
5. Tokyo (rates down 14%)
For festival travel, the top destinations are Mexico, Hawaii, Anguilla, Costa Rice and Saint Bart’s. Destinations on the rise for the festive season including Saint Lucia, the DR and Grenada.
WHAT’S COOL
Travel to cool destinations, including Canada, Iceland and Scandinavia, was up 44% this summer, Belles said. Canadian bookings rose 40%, while Norway bookings were up a whopping 89%.
Warm destination travel was down .5 per cent. But that’s to be expected in summer, and Belles pointed out that warm weather bookings are still 10 times larger than cool destinations.
HOTELS
For the first half of the year, ADR for Virtuoso trips are up 1.4%, with an average daily rate of $1,465 USD. The average jumps to more than $2,000 for the upcoming festive season.
The Caribbean looks very strong for the festive season, while Mexico is holding steady and Hawaii rates have fallen a little, Belles said.
“Morocco rates are up 59%, and our average daily rate is more than $4,600 a night for festive. Indonesia is another place that’s really coming on strong. Their rate is up 120% over last year’s festive season, to a rate of just over $3,800 a night.”
BOOKING TRENDS
Belles said fall and festive travel became big last year and that the trend is continuing.
“We’re seeing this shift to fall travel,” she said. “Fall is the new summer,” with both bookings and rates climbing for autumn.
MAUI RECOVERY
For the first six months of this year, Virtuoso sales for Maui were up 4%. For the festive season, their bookings are up 66%. Belles said West Maui/Lahaina bookings are about 7% lower than Wailea, which makes sense given the incredible fire damage to Lahaina in August of last year.
SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
Concern for the environment is especially strong among younger travellers. Belles said 57% of Gen Z travellers prioritize travel that’s environmentally responsible, as do 54% of millennials. For Gen X that drops to 37%, and it’s important to only 27% of Baby Boomers.
SOLO TRAVEL: WOMEN DOMINATE
Belle said that, among Virtuoso clients, 71% of solo travellers are women. Forty seven per cent of them are divorced, separated or widowed.
MULTI GEN TRAVEL
With Gen Z having babies, we’ll soon have seven generations travelling at the same time, Belles said. “That diversity of travellers matches the diversity we have in travel advisors. You have people coming from different geographies who are part of the advisor landscape from different age groups, and it’s reflected in the clients that we’re bringing into Virtuoso as well.”
She also noted on Beta Babies, the children of Gen Z members.
“If we said that Gen Z was born with a passport in hand, these are the babies who are going to be born on a plane going somewhere. Travel is just going to be part of who they are from the get go.”
“Gen Z parents are also more likely to rely on a travel advisor, as well, which is really interesting for us.”
CONCERTS AND SPORTS TRAVEL
Travelling for major experiences, such as the Olympics in Paris, or a Taylor Swift concert, also remain big trends.
Also popular are what Virtuso is calling “F-it lists,” which is like a bucket list trip but something you want to do “here and now.”
Gen Z and Millenial travellers are twice as likely as their older counterparts to seek an adrenaline rush while travelling. They’re also prioritizing ultra-luxe hotels, business or first-class flights and luxury cruising, Belles said.
PANEL PRESENTATION INCLUDES CANADIAN REP
Virtuoso also had a panel presentation, with Virtuoso advisors from Canada, the U.S., the UK and Australia offering opinions and answering questions about travel trends.
Cathy Holler, president and CEO of Momenti Travel in Vancouver, said there is a lot of sticker shock taking place.
“People are surprised by prices in Italy. They say, ‘I was there 10 years ago and it was nothing like that.’”
Holler said a number of clients are asking for high-end getaways at the last minute. But that doesn’t work for trips to countries such as Japan, where they may not have enough guides and drivers that speak English.
Booking early is essential for popular destinations, she said. “It’s a game of Tetris if you don’t.”
