Virtuoso Travel Week
The Voice of Luxury – that was the theme of this year's industry gathering in Las Vegas. While it's not certain how many people still had a voice after a full week of back-to-back meetings, these travel professionals definitely hit the jackpot: the luxury segment is still going strong. LuxuryWise has all the sexy numbers and memorable moments. Here's our Best of Virtuoso Travel Week 2024!
by LuxuryWise Editor-in-Chief, Iris M. Köpke
Virtuoso Travel Week
The Voice of Luxury – that was the theme of this year's industry gathering in Las Vegas. While it's not certain how many people still had a voice after a full week of back-to-back meetings, these travel professionals definitely hit the jackpot: the luxury segment is still going strong. LuxuryWise has all the sexy numbers and memorable moments. Here's our Best of Virtuoso Travel Week 2024!
by LuxuryWise Editor-in-Chief, Iris M. Köpke
This year's lucky numbers:
Attendees
...came together in scorching Las Vegas heat (we're talking 41° Celsius / 104° Fahrenheit) to network with their trusted partners and discover new ones. They represented 97 countries and 2,000+ luxury travel brands.
New Member Agencies
...have joined Virtuoso since the last Travel Week in 2023. Virtuoso travel advisors now represent 58 countries in total – four more than the previous year. Nearly half of all Virtuoso advisors are based outside the U.S.
Increase
...in the number of people that were looking for a Virtuoso travel advisor on the network's website. Their main reasons? To save time, to get expert advice, and to gain access to bespoke travel products and services.
Higher Sales
...in the first half of 2024 compared to the all-time benchmark 2019. The increase compared to H1 2023 is 14%.
USD
…is the ADR in August 2024 for leisture customers at Virtuoso Preferred Partner hotels. That's a slight increase of 1.4% YoY.
Sales Growth
…is the average increase of Virtuoso sales in an election year. So there is still growth but it's less than in pre-election years.
Virtuoso Advisors
…are seeing an uptick in requests for ultraluxe travel like VIP transfers, exclusive use, or private high-end experiences.
Never Before
New at Virtuoso Travel Week
Curated Attendance
For the first time ever travel advisors had to qualify to attend Virtuoso Travel Week. So instead of admitting them first-come-first-served, Virtuoso checked all of the 2,000 attendance requests to ensure a good mix of high-performers and high-potentials.
Matched Meetings
Some suppliers really struggled with this one: there were no assigned appointments, as all of the meetings were matched. But if the desired agent didn't reply to the request within 48 hours, it was deleted and the search for potential meeting partners had to start all over again.
Wellbeing Challenge
There was a daily wellness experience to participate in (think morning yoga and the like). And if the attendees felt more like taking care of their mental wellbeing, they could always hop into the Braindate Lounge to discuss almost any topic from work-life-balance to LGTBQ+.
Memorable Moments
Bam! Boom! Bang!
In case anyone felt tired from the jetlag – no problem. After the spectacular opening performance of an LED drummer everyone was wiiiide awake. The whirlwind of sounds and color swept the audience off their feet!
Big Boss
Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch welcomes luxury travel professionals from around the world to the General Session. His key message: yes, A.I. will impact the travel industry. But it won't replace the human touch!
Amazing Advisors
Now this is pretty incredible: Virtuoso asked clients if they would recommend their Virtuoso travel advisor to friends – and 99.3% said "yes." Cristina Buaas from Texas even scored 100% out of 726 reviews!
Fantastic Friends
I'm not crying, you're crying! We all had to blink away a tear or two after the emotional story told by author Simon Sinek on stage. Let's just say: make time for your friends!!! Nobody will forget this session anytime soon.
Sustainability Star
The lucky ones who could score a seat at this lunch were very impressed: at the event "Under One Sky" Virtuoso honored members and partners with the Sustainable Leadership Awards – over a very nice vegan lunch.
Super Stadium
It's time for Glamp Virtuoso! Buyers and suppliers met at Allegiant Stadium and enjoyed a glamping experience with food, drinks, music, and costumed "guides." Highly popular for networking!
Virtuoso News
Amazing Amenities: Virtuoso enhanced the amenities for their members. The biggest highlights are the guaranteed upgrade, and the early check-in/late check-out confirmation – both at the time of booking. Also nice: Virtuoso guests now receive a higher-valued amenity for higher room categories. Plus they get double credit for stays from 3 to 6 nights and even triple credit for stays of 7 nights or longer. It's a perfect match with the trend to stay longer in one place and to fully immerse in the destination! However, only one out of four hotel parters are offering these enhanced amenities thus far. *****
Wonderful Website: Virtuoso has redesigned its advisor portal. It's now optimized for mobile, offers a better search, and – drumroll please – it can be customized. Travel advisors are invited to try it out and provide feedback at my.virtuoso.com. The version for Virtuoso partners is already in the works. ***** Mighty Magazine: Virtuoso, The Magazine will soon be available as a UK version as well. It's a bi-monthly print publication to inspire clients with ideas on luxury travel.
Top Topics
Coolcations
Climate change has had an impact on bookings. More travelers consider cooler places like Scandinavia for their summer vacation (+44% in the first half of 2024 compared to H1 2023) because the classic destinations have become too hot during the summer months. The shoulder season is more popular: "Fall is the new summer," says Virtuoso's Executive Vice President David Kolner. Does this mean that hot destinations (-1%) are losing their appeal? No: according to Virtuoso, warm destinations still outsold cold destinations by 10:1.
Sustainability
Yes, it's definitely a thing – and yet three out of four travel advisors on the media panel said that it remains an exception that clients actively request sustainable products. Perhaps because it's expected these days. A luxury resort simply must operate sustainably – it's only an issue when that's not the case. Matthew Upchurch's advice: "Make the client feel good about who they give the money to." Sounds like a great idea – one with no alternative: "We have to be sustainable as an industry or we won't have an industry," says Upchurch.
A.I.
Virtuoso conducted a survey among travel agency owners (January to May 2024) to find out if they see artificial intelligence as an opportunity or a threat. The result: in all regions except Australia, there's a stronger belief that A.I. will improve things. Most owners think that A.I. will take over routine tasks so travel advisors can concentrate on doing what they do best: advise their clients. Keynote speaker Simon Sinek: "A.I. can answer questions. But A.I. cannot care. Advisors actually care about the vacation their clients are about to have."
Hot News & Cool Rumors from the Trade Show Floor
Aqua Expeditions is said to announce a new ship and a new destination in September. This will be the sixth ship in their fleet. We'll keep you posted on the details as soon as we learn more!
Wilderness is about to unveil Bisate Reserve in Rwanda: the lodge with only four villas should open its doors in September. The property sits on the rim of a volcano – rooms with a view!
Windstar Cruises let us have a first glance at the Star Seeker, a 224-guest, brand new ship that will debut in January 2026. Almost all of the 112 suites will have a private veranda.
Luxury resort Half Moon on Jamaica is almost done renovating all of its Rose Hall villas. Once finished, they will all offer enhanced views and an indoor/outdoor living concept.
Crystal is on a shopping spree: the cruise company has ordered two more ships and might buy a third one. What's more: they're building two expedition ships. All of this is to happen until 2029.
