Attendees had the opportunity to attend various presentations and professional development sessions, where they engaged in meaningful peer-to-peer conversations, and exchanged ideas and best practices on topics ranging from tailoring advisor skills for selling luxury travel to AI and more.
Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch took the stage at the event’s Opening Session and emphasised the importance of a concept that is foundational to Virtuoso: humanising the exceptional. “Since 2010, our core purpose has been to enrich lives through human connection,” he said. “Some may have thought it was just a slogan or feel-good sentiment, but it turned out to be our most defensible business model and the defining element of what Virtuoso advisors offer. Interacting with other people is not a desire, but a human need. Travel is a key vehicle for these interactions and exactly why the work of our advisors has never been more important.”
Virtuoso Senior Vice President, Global Operations, Michael Londregan also spoke to members and partners, presenting trends and insights. He revealed that 2024 was another record-breaking year for the Virtuoso network with sales surpassing 2019 numbers by 239 percent and significantly outpacing the leisure travel industry, which has grown an average of 125 percent in the same period. The network’s total sales in 2024 increased by over 20 percent. Globally, sales were up across all categories with hotels leading the way.
Looking forward to travelling, already booked for this year and 2026, Virtuoso’s future leisure sales increased by more than 30 percent. Specifically, future bookings of at least $50,000 (45,775 €) are up 51 percent, with cruise bookings in the same price range up 49 percent. Londregan anticipates future travel sales will continue to increase in years to come, as the UBS Global Wealth Report 2024 predicts a 15 percent growth in millionaires by 2028.
Following the “cool-cations” trend that emerged in recent years, Londregan revealed that European destinations with more moderate climates continue to spark travellers’ interest this summer, specifically Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The hottest destination on the rise in Europe, based on year-over-year sales for travel already booked for this June, July and August, is Slovenia (+473 percent). This spike comes after Virtuoso hosted its annual Chairman’s Event in Slovenia last year, showcasing the destination for its highest-performing travel agency members and demonstrating the direct influence that Virtuoso advisors have on increasing interest and tourism to certain destinations. Other places to watch this summer include Croatia, Malta, Montenegro and Turkey.
Jennifer Campbell, Senior Vice President, Global Events, took the stage to share exciting program and product updates. She discussed the recent launch of the new Social Media Content Centre, where members and advisors can augment and scale their own social media efforts. Key features include the choice of automated or customized posting and AI translation across eight different languages. The new centre is one more extension of Virtuoso’s high-quality content available for network use.
She also shared that, following the success of the pilot Villas Spotlight consumer marketing campaign last November on Virtuoso.com, the network also launched a Suites Spotlight last month. Spotlights are designed as visually rich content experiences that showcase the unrivalled luxury of select, preferred partner villas and suites, to drive consumers to contact an advisor. Following the launch of Spotlights, Virtuoso.com saw an increase in both website visitor traffic and time spent on the site.
“Interacting with other people is not a desire, but a human need. Travel is a key vehicle for these interactions.”
Similarly, Virtuoso launched Digital Destination Experiences last year, which are designed to elevate the experience of Virtuoso.com by offering comprehensive and engaging platforms dedicated to specific locations around the globe. Digital Destination Experiences – which currently include Madrid, Australia, Canada, Greece, Croatia and Los Cabos – aim to captivate travellers with immersive and informative content.
Campbell also shared exciting updates surrounding Virtuoso’s enhanced hotel amenities program. Introduced last year, 20 percent of Virtuoso preferred hotel partners opted to provide a higher value-add for all Virtuoso bookings, including amenities such as double or triple credits for guests depending on the length of their stay, guaranteed upgrades and confirmed early check-in or late check-out. This year, Virtuoso partner participation has already increased to 30 percent of the network’s preferred hotels, and Virtuoso data shows that those properties are seeing rising ADRs and an average increase in revenue of 50 percent.
