Travel is flourishing, and Virtuoso says it’s at the top of the heap

LAS VEGAS — Travel agency network Virtuoso said its sales are up 213% from 2019, the year before the pandemic hit.

According to Tourism Economics, spending for outbound leisure travel — Virtuoso’s specialty — is up 126% this year compared to 2019. 

Virtuoso also said sales for the first half of 2024 were up 14% compared to last year, and that it continues to outperform the industry in luxury travel sales.   

Speaking at Virtuoso Travel Week, executive vice president David Kolner said that outpacing industry growth is a source of pride for Virtuoso.

The annual event, known as the “Fashion Week of Travel,” began at the Bellagio Resort & Casino, Aria Resort & Casino, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Vdara Hotel & Spa on Aug. 10. It drew more than 4,700 attendees.

This year brought changes to Virtuoso Travel Week itself.

During the opening general session, Jennifer Campbell, senior vice president of network products and events, highlighted some of the changes. For the first time, Virtuoso vetted the advisors at the event. Previously, they were admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis when registration opens.

This year, Virtuoso required advisors to apply to attend the event, according to Kolner. That had long been the case with suppliers, but in doing so with advisors this year, Virtuoso was able to better control the mix of who attends to include both top producers and new advisors. Sales were considered and advisors’ agency managers had to approve their registration.

This year also marks the first without assigned appointments between advisors and suppliers, Campbell said. Mornings are filled with matched appointments, which were picked by both advisors and the suppliers they’ll be meeting with. Afternoons are less structured so attendees can pick the activities that will be most helpful to them.

Sustainability in the spotlight

Sustainability has been an area of focus for Virtuoso for nearly 15 years. It was a topic of conversation throughout Virtuoso Travel Week, including during the Under One Sky lunch on Monday.

Virtuoso chairman and CEO Matthew Upchurch and vice chair and sustainability strategist Jessica Hall Upchurch handed out sustainability-related awards to several suppliers (Wilderness, Big Five Tours & Expeditions and Abercrombie & Kent Vietnam), member agency NUBA and travel advisor Kristin Winkaffe of Winkaffe Global Travel.

Matthew Upchurch also addressed the opportunity that sustainability holds for travel advisors.

“When people walk in and say, ‘Give me a sustainable trip.’ How often does that happen?” he asked. “Not that often, right? Here’s the opportunity. People want amazing experiences. That’s why they come to you. But if you can make affluent people feel good about who they give their money to, they will see you at a different level of value than they did before.”

It will not only help advisors’ business, Upchurch said, but their reputation.

Jessica Hall Upchurch said, “While doing good is important, it is also a very serious and important business opportunity in our market, and it’s a transformative way of doing business, as well,” she said.

According to the Virtuoso Impact Report: Sustainable Travel 2024, 88% of Virtuoso advisors said selling sustainable travel is a business opportunity. Further, 66% said clients are willing to increase their spending if they understand a supplier’s sustainability initiatives.

During a press conference, Upchurch also addressed recent anti-tourist incidents that have cropped up around the world, including tourists being sprayed with water guns in Barcelona.

Advisors, he said, must “keep reminding people that we are guests.” 

Destinations around the world want “high-value travelers that are respectful, that spend more,” he said. Especially if a destination has opted to limit visitor capacity, they will value travelers that will spend more, he said.

“We have to listen. We can’t pretend that it’s not an issue,” Upchurch said. “But I would also put it back on the governments and the destinations to do whatever they need to do. To listen to their citizens.”