With summer officially here, travel to favorite sun-kissed destinations such as Italy, France, Spain and Greece is in high demand. Virtuoso has analyzed intel from its data warehouse exceeding $63.6 billion in transactions to reveal top vacation destinations and found that affluent globetrotters are spending big on luxury hotels and experiences for the summer and beyond.
Virtuoso has revealed it’s Top 10 destinations for summer travel based on bookings.
- United States
- Italy
- France
- Spain
- Canada
- United Kingdom
- Greece
- Ireland
- Switzerland
- Portugal
While the U.S. is still the top summer destination, Virtuoso has seen a shift with more travelers using their passport this summer. Overall, U.S. travel is down 12 percent compared to last summer. While Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Portugal continue to captivate, travelers are venturing beyond tourist favorites to discover more off-the-beaten spots, including the surf town of Biarritz in France, the wine region of Rioja in Spain and the small town of Elounda on the Greek island of Crete. In Ireland, the Wild Atlantic Way is gaining popularity due to its rugged beauty and burgeoning culinary scene. Meanwhile, London’s exciting lineup of summer events, such as Wimbledon (July 13-16), “BBC Proms” (July 19 to September 9) and “Fashion Week” (September 15-19), helped the U.K. secure the No. 6 spot on the list.
A sign of travel’s continued rebound, bookings for 2023 are 91 percent higher than they were in 2019 (a banner year for travel) leading into 2020 and 62 percent higher than 2022. Virtuoso’s partner hotels are experiencing extremely high demand, with bookings 193 percent higher than in 2019 and 77 percent in 2022. Hotel average daily rates (ADR) continue to soar, as summer 2023 rates average nearly $1,700 per night (69 percent more than in 2019). Cruising is also showing bookings 55 percent higher compared to 2019.
Another source of optimism for Virtuoso and its network: Data showing its target market of high-value travelers—high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals—is expected to grow by 34 percent, exceeding 62 million worldwide over the next five years, per the Credit Suisse “Global Wealth Report.” With demand for the expertise, connections and exceptional experiences provided by its advisors already at an all-time high, Virtuoso has a tremendous opportunity with this growing target audience.
Booking analysis is based on transactional data sourced from Virtuoso’s travel agency members.
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