The official agenda at Virtuoso Travel Week was packed with presentations and one-on-one meetings. But some of the most revealing conversations happened elsewhere: over cocktails and dinner, in hotel corridors and in chance encounters between the nearly 5,000 travel advisors, suppliers and industry executives gathered for the annual event.
Taken together, those conversations offered a snapshot of where high-end travel is heading. Travelers still want to spend (and at the very top of the market, they’re spending more than ever), but they’re also becoming more deliberate about how, when and where they go. They’re looking to escape crowds, travel more slowly, avoid being nickeled and dimed and find experiences that feel personal rather than engineered for social media.
And while artificial intelligence was never far from the conversation, neither was a recurring reminder of what luxury travel advisors believe clients value most: human relationships, firsthand knowledge and access that an algorithm can’t easily replicate.
Here are eight themes that stood out throughout the week.
Travelers Want to Slow Down
That can mean “farm charm” properties with just a few rooms or heading to a remote retreat to rest in nature. For instance, instead of fighting the crowds at national parks, travelers might opt for a nature preserve with a luxury lodge.
“Slow is the new wellness,” said Jade McBride, president of Ted Turner Reserves.
Others are seeking “analog escapes,” where they can learn to play mahjong or knit. They want tactile experiences — ones that take them back to their youth.
Shoulder Season is Popular
Travelers are fed up with large crowds and extreme heat. Overall, Virtuoso Fall 2026 bookings are up 59% and sales are up 69%. September bookings are up 55%, with sales up 77%; November is up 70% in both metrics. Fall in Europe is a standout, with bookings up 49% and sales up 64%. The gap between September and August is closing, and September may soon overtake August. Over the past few years, September has seen 115% growth.
Leaders at Explora Journeys noted strong demand for winter sailings in the Mediterranean, when there are fewer crowds and a better chance to engage with the local culture. Those guests are “travelers,” not “tourists.”
Political and Economic News Weighs Heavily
Melissa Krueger, CEO of Classic Vacations, said bookings rise and fall with each day’s news. Customers want to travel, she noted, but hesitate after hearing the latest headlines about the economy or global conflict.
There’s a greater desire for domestic travel, with travelers concerned about being stranded while on vacation. Travelers are also seeking comfort and nostalgia by returning to the same hotel — or a brand — they are familiar with.
Other advisors said the process of going from trip inquiry to booking is taking a bit longer than usual.
However, for those big, special trips — or ones where travelers want a specific cruise or villa — advance bookings are very strong. Travelers know there is limited availability for those unique experiences or lodging options and are booking early for milestone trips.
The Ultra-Rich are Spending Even More
There are travelers with large budgets, but those seeing the greatest growth are the “ultra-high net worth” ones with almost no budgetary constraints. Bookings with average daily rates above $1,500 are growing 37% — roughly twice the overall average of all Virtuoso hotel bookings.
Bookings of $50,000 and up are up 47%, while cruise bookings of $50,000 and up are growing 49%.
Additionally, ultra-high net worth travelers are pulling away from standard luxury, seeking hotel-within-a-hotel exclusivity and private clubs with hotel connections.
Travelers are Trying to See It All
Luxury travelers are stringing destinations together into longer, multicity itineraries that Virtuoso has termed “city-maxxing,” and roughly one in two of these trips crosses an international border. There’s also “country coupling,” where travelers link together two bordering nations.
Common pairs are France and Italy, followed by France and the U.K., then Italy and Switzerland.
Yet some advisors say this is a bad idea, especially if the duration is short — think a long weekend getaway.
“If you're not on a cruise ship or a yacht, the request of seeing six different cities in France for a 14-day period is actually painful,” noted one influential advisor. “You're not going to enjoy it. You're going to be hot. You're going to be tired. All of your stuff is not going to be packed well. Just don't do it.”
Please, Please Avoid Social Media and Checklists
Too many advisors see people following social media advice or arriving with long checklists of attractions to see. But they warn against that.
Some of the most memorable trips aren’t the ones all over social feeds. When a destination, hotel or attraction gets heavily hyped online, it can come with bigger crowds, higher prices and expectations that are hard to meet.
Instead, there’s something special about slowing down and traveling with intention — discovering places that feel more personal and focusing on quality time with the people you love. Years from now, those are often the moments you remember most, not just the photo you took at the place everyone else saw on TikTok.
Travelers Don’t Want to be Nickeled and Dimed
“People are sick of being squeezed,” said Josie Turner of 360 Private Travel. “If you're paying £1,000 a night, and orange juice is £25 at breakfast, it's actually just a little bit insulting.”
Other resorts add on a “service charge” — not a gratuity, but a charge for somebody to deliver food and drinks to the beach.
“When you're expecting a luxury, ultra-luxury experience, being squeezed for that kind of small, trivial amount is not luxury,” Turner added.
AI is Here, but Advisors are Unsure About Deployment
Advisors know that AI can help their business, but they also emphasized — repeatedly — the value of personal experience. The consensus was: Let AI help run the back end of your business. Link up your systems. Save time with billing, email outreach and other administrative tasks.
But then double down on personal interactions, relationships and trip planning. Clients want to work with a human who has been there and personally knows the hotel general manager, a restaurant owner or a tour guide.
But don’t ignore AI. Its use will continue to grow, and savvy advisors will learn how to integrate it into their businesses without losing that personal touch.
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