LONDON – Virtuoso,the leading global network specialising in luxury and experiential travel, hosted its 2025 Continental Europe Forum this week at Mandarin Oriental Palace, Luzern. From 19-21 March, the Forum brought together over 90 attendees, including owners and managers from Virtuoso’s travel agency members across Continental Europe along with preferred partners from around the world.
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.
Referencing Scott Galloway’s newsletter No Mercy / No Malice, Upchurch continued, One of my favourite newsletters says, ‘People are the new brands.’ Statistics show that social media posts including human faces receive higher engagement, and people view their favourite influencers as friends. That’s called the Parasocial Phenomena, and it translates to our industry because travel advisors are influencers in their own right. But they are not parasocial influencers; they’re real ones. This further proves that advisors are relationship marketers that land sales, not just another form of distribution.
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 compared to 2023. Globally, sales were up across all categories with hotels leading the way. Nearly one-third more hotel sales were produced year-over-year. Cruise sales also increased by nearly 30 percent compared to 2023, with yacht sales showing the largest growth at over 75 percent, followed by expedition, river and ocean, respectively.
Looking forward to travel 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 USD (€45,775 EUR) 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 (+356 percent), Malta (+108 percent), Montenegro (+24 percent) and Turkey (+272 percent).
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. It provides tools for managing social media channels – now including Instagram and TikTok – within one dashboard. 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, per requests from the network, and a second Villas Spotlight showcasing a unique set of preferred partners debuted this month. Spotlights are designed as visually rich content experiences that showcase the unrivalled luxury of select, preferred partner villas and suites, with the goal of driving 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. The Virtuoso team is continuously measuring consumer engagement with the online campaign to gain insights and continue evolving the product.
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. Digital Destination Experiences have received positive feedback from participating partners based on their unique goals, and the program will continue to grow in 2025 with the next destination – Toronto – already in the works.
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.
For more details on Virtuoso’s network of the world’s best travel agencies, advisors and preferred partners, please visit www.virtuoso.com.
About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the leading global travel agency network specialising in luxury and experiential travel. This by-invitation-only organisation comprises over 1,200 travel agency locations with more than 20,000 travel advisors in 54 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with more than 2,300 of the world’s best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. Normalised annual sales of (U.S.) $28-$32 billion make Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com.
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