by Jim Byers
Last updated: 4:21 PM ET, Mon August 9, 2021
The Delta variant is causing problems, but Virtuoso says business is definitely a lot better this year than last.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Virtuoso annual show in Las Vegas, xxxx Misty Belles said hotel bookings are up 122% over last year's levels, while tour bookings are up 34% and cruise bookings up 20%.
Compared to 2019, business in January of this year was down 82.2%. But it was down just 45.6% for June of this year compared with June, 2019, she said. Early July numbers suggest business is down just a tiny bit from June.
Studies show consumers are much more confident in travel right now, with a majority of travellers saying they expect to hit the road in the next six months. Asked if they'd take a cruise right now, 46% of those surveyed said they would.
Top destinations for American tourists are Europe and Canada. Within the U.S., the top three places for travellers are California, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
Belles said travellers are returning to city stays, as well.
Joshua Bush of Avenue Two Travel in Pennsylvania said during the panel talk that his agency is booking some trips several times and taking advantage of flexible policies.
"We've become really good at plan A, B, C, D and E," he said.
Belles said that, despite the pandemic, Virtuoso has brought in 26 new agencies since January.
Virtuoso, the leading global network specializing in luxury and experiential travel, kicked off its 33rdannual Virtuoso Travel Week conference yesterday before an audience of more than 3,300 of luxury travel's top professionals from 102 countries, marking the first luxury travel event this year with in-person attendance as well as virtual.
Running August 8-13, the hybrid function will see nearly 1,500 in-person attendees at Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas joined by over 1,800 remote participants for nearly 82,000 of the famed, one-to-one networking appointments plus a full roster of professional development sessions by renowned presenters. Whether attendees are in Las Vegas, or participating from the comfort of remote locations, Virtuoso is presenting a well curated and highly dynamic experience that sets the stage for global travel's recovery, meeting participants where they are in that process.
Virtuoso Week's Opening Ceremony, themed "Imagine What Can Be," was a strong visual and emotional presentation, designed to engage and inspire all attendees and featuring original poetry performed by Adán Bean.
There also was a presentation by Virtuoso Chairman and CEO, Matthew D. Upchurch.
"Disruptions accelerate trends, whether to the upside or downside," Upchurch said. "Despite this global pause in travel, two of the most powerful upside trends are completely in our favour. First, is the value of travel, itself, because nothing motivates humans like taking something away that they took for granted. And the second is the value of a travel advisors. The heroic efforts of advisors during the pandemic only widened the gap with DIY."
Upchurch also shared with the audience key innovations that his organization had been working on throughout the year, for the mutual benefit and success of the entire Virtuoso network. Continuing to grow consumer preference for Virtuoso members, advisors and partners, and innovating the way in which travellers collaborate with the network through digital has been a focus. Just this week, Virtuoso launched the integration of its website, Virtuoso.com, and its travel dreaming site Virtuoso Wanderlist, a major milestone in combining travel inspiration with traveller engagement in the dreaming and planning process. Since making Virtuoso.com content forward in 2020, web traffic, page views and time on the site have grown significantly. And Wanderlist has exceeded $110 million in future travel demand, with an impressive 59% of list invitations sent by travellers accepted by their friends and family, making it a powerful referral tool for Virtuoso travel advisors. Upchurch explained that the combination moved away from a pure website to a digital traveller experience.
As with any Virtuoso event, professional development will play a key role. Both in-person and remote attendees will have access to Virtuoso Week's robust training lineup from well-respected, expert presenters. The content is also made available to registrants for a full month following the event.
With longer, selected appointments complementing the shorter, Virtuoso Week matched one-on-ones; Globetrotting programs that focus on Virtuoso's Communities in cruise, adventure, wellness, culinary, ultra-luxe, and family + celebration travel; and a dedicated Cruise Café plus partner lounges, participants have plenty of opportunities to reconnect and conduct business.
Virtuoso Travel Week will continue through August 13, with news, trends and industry recognition to be shared during the week. For more information on Virtuoso, visit www.virtuoso.com.
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