A noticeable move in travel behaviour is seeing autumn travel sales soar by 69% year-on-year, with bookings up 59%. September is on track to overtake August as the most popular month for travel, according to Virtuoso, with sales up 77% and bookings 55% year-on-year for September.
The trend continues into October and November, with October sales rising 55% and bookings 59%, while November has seen sales climb 71% and bookings 70%. For luxury travel businesses, the shift suggests that the traditionally quieter months are becoming increasingly valuable and that clients are looking beyond the height of summer for their big trips.
All this and more will be up for discussion during Black Book, which will see the debut of an exciting new partnership with the global luxury network, and for the first time, show guests will be able to experience The Black Book Lounge, by Virtuoso.
Seasonal shifts
The appetite for classic European destinations shows little sign of waning, with Italy, France, the UK and Spain all featuring among Virtuoso’s top 10 countries for autumn travel.
At the same time, Virtuoso is seeing travellers build bigger, more complex trips, with data pointing to the rise of “city-maxxing”, with multi-city, multi-week itineraries increasingly replacing shorter breaks. Meanwhile, “Destination-maxxing” is also gaining traction, with roughly one in two Virtuoso clients crossing an international border on a trip in the past year. Popular combinations include France and Italy, France and the UK, and Italy and Switzerland.
Multigenerational travel is the fastest-growing trip type identified by Virtuoso’s global advisors, with 69% reporting increased interest, followed by ocean cruising at 63% and celebratory or milestone travel at 60%. Safari and adventure travel is also gaining ground, cited by 50% of advisors.
Sixty per cent of Virtuoso advisors also report clients are prioritising bucket-list trips, while half say avoiding over-touristed destinations has become more common. Privacy and exclusivity for their clients are also increasingly important, cited by 27% of advisors.
Travellers are not only travelling later in the year, they are also booking further into the future, with leisure sales for one and two years out up 50%. Overall, year-on-year sales among UK members of Virtuoso are significantly up, by 26%.
Talking trends
Black Book will see 150 travel advisors and 116 exhibitors gather at the Business Design Centre in London, with attendees welcome to stop by for a coffee at The Black Book Lounge, by Virtuoso to connect and talk travel trends. The barista bar is appearing at the show for the first time, and will be located prominently on the show floor.
“At Virtuoso, the importance of human connection and the relationships it establishes and strengthens are fundamental to both our network and our business. Creating meaningful opportunities for our members, advisors, and preferred partners to come together is at the heart of what we do,” said Misty Belles, VP, Global Public Relations of Virtuoso.
“The Black Book Lounge, by Virtuoso provides another valuable touchpoint for our network, while enabling us to support and engage with the wider luxury travel community. Ultimately, it’s about creating space for meaningful conversation, collaboration and the exchange of ideas that help drive our industry forward.”
A by-invitation organisation, Virtuoso generates annual sales of $35 billion through more than 20,000 travel advisors in 58 countries. It also features 2,800 hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and destinations in the network.
