One of travel’s biggest annual events, Virtuoso Travel Week, went virtual this year and was held this week. While I didn’t get to join most of the sessions, I had a chance to check out a video of the “Setting the Record Straight: Fall, Festive, Future” press conference, moderated by Misty Belles, managing director of global public relations, Virtuoso, and featuring Geoffrey Kent, founder and co-chairman, Abercrombie & Kent; Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises; Philippe Zuber, CEO, Kerzner International; Becky Powell, chief strategy officer, Protravel International; and Matthew Upchurch, CEO, Virtuoso.
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While I had some technical difficulties on my end, I was able to catch the beginning of the virtual session and noted some interesting tidbits shared by Virtuoso after surveying its network of travel advisors and providers:
- Most believe it will be another six months to a year before bookings return to a stable level
- More and more bookings are being seen in Europe
- Beach destinations in the United States are doing well (I will be able to attest to this personally in my next blog, as I prepare to escape to Cape May, New Jersey, for a few days next week)
- Travelers don’t want to be locked into anything restrictive, and travel bookings are being made on much shorter lead times
- Of the 18–25 age group, 100 percent are ready to travel; between millennials and Generation X, it’s 50/50; and older travelers are still more cautious
- 70 percent of people traveling are going less than 1,700 miles from home
- For the upcoming holiday season, 59 percent are ready to travel internationally, while 89 percent are ready to fly
- Celebration travel is going to come back strong, especially considering so many celebratory events have been put on hold this year
- Cruising also looks to come back strong, with bookings for 2021 outpacing other recent years
- Destinations that allow people to get back to nature and physically distance are most popular at the moment
— Kim Krol, editor in chief
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