The year has started off strong for Virtuoso, with the luxury travel network’s first quarter 2025 sales up by 14% on the same period last year.
Executive Vice President David Kolner revealed the insights into Virtuoso’s recent sales and trends among the network’s advisors and high-value travellers at its annual Symposium event, held last week aboard Crystal Serenity.
Sales were up across all categories within the same time frame, with hotel sales surging by almost 30% in Q1 compared with the same period last year, followed by service, cruise, on-sites and tours.
As for future leisure sales, he shared that travel booked this year for travel in 2026 and 2027 has increased 17% year-over-year.
Kolner also presented the global findings from the Owner/Manager Outlook Surveys, completed live by attendees at the various Virtuoso Forums across all of its nine regions.
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The findings were overwhelmingly positive, with 39% of respondents noting they expect their agency sales to increase anywhere from 11% to 20%, while 16% of respondents expected a 21% to 50% increase.
Across all regions, owners and managers are planning on hiring in 2025 to meet consumer demand, with the overwhelming majority indicating they plan to hire full-time advisors, independent contractors and/or support staff.
Of the luxury travel trends that look set to continue through the rest of the year, Kolner highlighted coolcations, with a 79% rise in Scandinavia bookings between June and August, as well as the enduring appeal of the European summer. Bookings for Europe are up 25% year-on-year with hotel Average Daily Rates up 4%.
The White Lotus Effect continues to be seen, according to Kolner, with bookings for Thailand up 27% from January to April year-on-year.
Meanwhile, sustainability continues to be an influencer, with more than 40% of travellers willing to pay more to support companies that adopt environmentally friendly practices, particularly Millennials and Gen Z. Almost two out of three luxury travellers said they are interested in making sustainable travel choices during their trips.
