Upscale Travelers Continue to Seek Out New Destinations
by Marilee Crocker /The appetite for travel to less-visited destinations in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, remains strong among upscale U.S. travelers, according to the 2019 Virtuoso Luxe Report. While traditionally popular destinations are travelers’ top choices for the coming fall and holiday seasons, the report also found spikes in year-over-year bookings to more off-the-beaten path locales.
Leading the pack in year-over-year growth was Uruguay, which saw a 286% increase in bookings made by Virtuoso’s advisors for U.S. travelers. That was followed by the Maldives (up 171%), Malta (140%), Romania (135%), Egypt (122%, Puerto Rico (120%), Rwanda (114%), Qatar (101%), South Korea (98%) and Norway (96%). Exploring new destinations is the leading travel motivator for 2019, Virtuoso concluded.
The Virtuoso Luxe Report is based on Virtuoso’s U.S. member bookings for travel September through December 2019. Results were released during this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.