Luxury travel demand continues to accelerate in 2026, with Virtuoso reporting gains across hotels, cruises, tours and destination services — even as prices remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
The luxury travel network shared its latest sales and traveler data during Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, where executives said overall sales are pacing more than 20 percent ahead of last year, with growth across every global region.
Growth is particularly strong among Virtuoso preferred partners. Hotel sales are up 24.5 percent year over year, followed closely by cruises at 22.4 percent. Onsite partner sales have increased 17.5 percent, while tour sales are up 11 percent.
Travelers are continuing to spend despite higher hotel prices. The average daily rate for luxury U.S. hotels booked through Virtuoso has climbed from $790 in 2019 to $1,445 in 2026. International luxury hotel ADR has risen from $985 to $1,653 over the same period.
One of the clearest changes in Virtuoso's data is not simply how much travelers are spending, but when they are traveling.
Virtuoso declared that “fall is the new summer,” with fall 2026 sales pacing 69 percent ahead of the first half of 2025 and bookings up 59 percent. The shift has been building for several years: fall sales increased 27 percent in 2024 and another 39 percent in 2025.
Europe is among the biggest beneficiaries. Fall bookings to Europe are up 49 percent, while overall sales have jumped 64 percent. Prices are rising along with demand, with European fall ADR up another 7.4 percent.
Santorini in Greece (Photo Credit: maglara / Adobe Stock)
Several popular Mediterranean destinations are seeing substantially larger increases. Fall ADRs are up 179 percent on the French Riviera, 131 percent in the Greek Isles and 78 percent in Puglia.
The United States remains the top country for fall travel among Virtuoso clients, followed by Italy, France, Mexico and Japan. The United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, French Polynesia and Canada round out the top 10.
Strong demand is also extending beyond fall. Virtuoso reported that festive-season sales for 2026 are pacing 56 percent higher than last year, while bookings are up 65 percent.
At the same time, affluent travelers are changing the shape of their vacations.
Singapore Marina Bay area and CBD district at dusk. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/hit1912)
Virtuoso identified a trend it calls “city-maxxing,” in which travelers replace shorter city breaks with longer, multi-city journeys. The average luxury stay has lengthened, and advisors are seeing clients combine destinations as far apart as Singapore, London and New York within a single itinerary.
Second homes are increasingly being used as bases for extended trips, while branded residences and private villas are competing for longer-stay travelers. Private aviation is also part of the trend, with Millennials leading private aviation requests and exceeding the global average by six percent, according to Virtuoso advisors.
The pool of travelers capable of sustaining that level of spending is also growing. Data presented by Virtuoso showed the global population of ultra-high-net-worth individuals — those with at least $30 million — has increased 29 percent since 2021. Affluent travelers now average six leisure trips a year, while per-trip spending increased from approximately $8,400 to $12,400 between 2022 and 2025.
Travel motivations are changing alongside with spending patterns.
One in three global luxury travelers cites returning to nature as a reason for taking a leisure trip. Sustainable travel choices are especially prevalent among younger travelers, cited by 74 percent of Gen Z and 71 percent of Millennials, compared with 58 percent of Gen X and 51 percent of Baby Boomers.
Virtuoso is also seeing wellness travel become more differentiated. The network identified three emerging traveler profiles: the Performance Optimizer, focused on improving physical and mental performance; the Restoration Seeker, seeking rest and rejuvenation; and the Meaning Seeker, looking for greater purpose and connection through travel.
Travel advisors appear bullish about the outlook. In Virtuoso's latest survey, 73 percent expressed optimism about client budgets and traveler spending, while 52 percent were optimistic about their leads and booking pipelines.
Technology was another source of optimism: 41 percent of advisors cited technology and emerging tools, including AI. Virtuoso unveiled a new AI-powered intelligence capability designed to help advisors access information and expertise from across the network. The company has positioned the technology as a tool to augment advisor knowledge rather than replace human expertise.
For now, however, the clearest message in Virtuoso's numbers is that luxury travelers are continuing to spend, travel farther and stay longer — and the traditional boundaries of the travel calendar are rapidly disappearing.
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