2011 Luxury Travel Trends Forecast From Virtuoso Luxe Report

by Susan Kime (RSS feed)
Jan 21st 2011 at 8:01AM

This week, Virtuoso®, luxury travel industry's leading travel network, released their Virtuoso Luxe Report, forecasting relevant travel trends, based on travel decisions and other motivating factors for upscale 2011 travel.

The year of 2011 may mark the end of the "staycation", the popular vacation where individuals, couples and families stayed in one place during their whole trip. According to Virtuoso®, travelers are once again desirous of multi-destination exploration. Indeed, Virtuoso® says its clientele increased their travel purchases by 36 percent from 2009 to 2010, with luxury international leisure trips being the dominant choice.

This year's report shows international travel is slated to be the most popular type of trip in 2011, with 57 percent of respondents reporting clients reserving international trips of eight days or longer. Italy, France and South Africa are the three most popular international destinations for travelers in 2011, followed by Australia and Mexico. Vietnam took the front-running spot as the most popular emerging destination – a position previously occupied by India, which instead became the second most popular emerging destination; followed by China, the Galapagos Islands and Morocco.

For families traveling in 2011, Europe is also in position to be the most popular destination, continuing to support data that international travel is on the rise. Italy and England were ranked the two most popular family travel destinations for this year. Also included were trips to Hawaii and Costa Rica, followed by Alaska.

Interestingly, the survey reported that family and multi-generational travel is the biggest emerging travel trend for 2011. Additionally, the survey found that more travelers are including infants and toddlers in their trip planning. Of those booking travel, the top three motives influencing travel choices included: seeking authentic experiences in new destinations; rest and relaxation; and spending time or reconnecting with loved ones – further supporting the reasons for the increased interest in family travel.

"The Luxe Report findings offer great insight into the mindset of the upscale traveler and predict the trends in luxury-focused, leisure travel for 2011," said Virtuoso CEO, Matthew D. Upchurch. "A strong return to international travel indicates a certain level of economic recovery, as does the increase in families traveling together"

Here are more results of the Virtuoso Luxe survey:

What are the five biggest travel trends emerging for 2011?
1. Family and multi-generational travel
2. Luxury cruises
3. Active or adventure trips
4. Guided or private touring
5. Beach resort stays

What are the five most popular international destinations for travelers in 2011?
1. Italy
2. France
3. South Africa
4. Australia
5. Mexico

What are the top five U.S. destinations where you expect to send travelers in 2011?
1. Maui
2. New York City
3. Las Vegas
4. Napa Valley/Sonoma
5. Orlando

What are the five most popular emerging destinations, meaning those on the cusp of becoming popular, either for the first time or all over again in 2011?
1. Vietnam
2. India
3. China
4. Galapagos Islands
5. Morocco

What do you anticipate are the top five most popular destinations for family travel in 2011?
1. Italy
2. England
3. Hawaii
4. Costa Rica
5. Alaska

What are the five most popular cruise itineraries for 2011?
1. Mediterranean
2. Alaska
3. Caribbean
4. European River
5. Greek Isles

What are the five most popular destinations for romantic getaways in 2011?
1. Italy
2. French Polynesia
3. France
4. Maui
5. Napa Valley/Sonoma

What are the five most popular destinations for adventure travel in 2011?
1. Costa Rica
2. South Africa
3. Galapagos Islands
4. New Zealand
5. Australia

What are the top reasons clients are traveling in 2011?
1. Seeking authentic experiences in new destinations
2. Rest & Relaxation
3. Spending time or reconnecting with loved ones
4. Personal enrichment (e.g. voluntourism, cultural experience, learning, etc.)
5. Discovering new experiences in previously visited (or more familiar) destinations
6. Seeking adventure

Rank the most important determining factors for your clients' when choosing a vacation:
1. The right destination
2. Value for money paid
3. Once-in-a-lifetime experiences
4. The activities available
5. Price

Advisors from Virtuoso® member travel agencies were invited to take the survey in December 2010 and January 2011. Results were tabulated from more than 250 responses from the United States and Canada.

Tags: luxury international lesiure travel, Luxury travel trends 2011, Virtuoso, Virtuoso Luxe Report 2011, Virtuoso Travel Network

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SkyVue Outdoor LED Televisions Jan 21st 2011 3:59PM

Wow, Italy made almost every category. Not too surprising, that's where I'd like to go this year. Where was the picture at the top taken?

Javier Feb 10th 2011 5:46AM

Very interesting. We are offering luxury trips in http://findertrip.com , and "Seeking authentic experiences in new destinations" is the main reason for travellers. Maybe Luxury travellers are not so interested in cruises, and five stars resorts. They valued the "experience".