Luxury travellers are looking to travel more, with a particular focus on autumnal holidays, multi-city getaways and wellness trips, Virtuoso announced at the 38th annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.
The network has seen significant sales growth, with a nearly 21% increase in year-over-year sales globally, or 12.8% for Australia and New Zealand. Among the big changes is a rise in autumn bookings, as travellers avoid the summer crowds. Data shows bookings for the northern fall of 2026 are up 59% and sales are up 69%, with the destinations most impacted including the French Riviera where autumnal bookings are up 179%.
There’s also more luxury travellers combining multiple cities, a travel style being described as ‘city-maxx-ing’. Virtuoso says around half of these trips cross an international border, with France and Italy the most common pairing, followed by France and the UK, and Italy and Switzerland.
Wellness-segmented hotel sales are up 44%, but longevity tourism is being described as a breakout segment, this including sleep opti-misation, metabolic health and mental-health retreats.
The report also shows that the average luxury stay length is growing, with 30% of luxury travellers saying they are taking fewer but longer, higher-quality trips. It also reports an increase in demand for branded residences, and private villas and jets.
Virtuoso advisors have noted a spike in multigenerational and family-led trips, followed by premium and lux-ury ocean cruising and celebration travel. Baby boomers are driving cruise demand while for millennials it’s beach escapes and new luxury products and experiences.
. . . Confidence
Despite the current world climate, Virtuoso says its global future leisure sales one and two years out are up 50%, strengthening as the price rises. Bookings of USD50,000 or more are up 47%, and production of USD100,000 and above is up 49%. Some 42% of those polled say travellers are booking further ahead to secure preferred options
