Demand for luxury travel is growing, bolstered by the cruise sector, and agents are reaping the benefits.
That’s according to Virtuoso’s 2025 Global Luxury Traveller Report, which notes a 76% increase in the number of the network’s consumers seeking out agents via its website. The change is attributed to increased demand for luxury getaways. Virtuoso’s data shows that future travel bookings in the USD50,000 and above category are up 35% Jan-Jun 2025 compared to Jan-Jun 2024. At the same time future cruise sales one to two years out that exceed USD50,000 per booking are up 43% year-on-year.
. . . Trends
And while cruise is a key trend for this segment, the report also highlights a growing appetite for off-season travel, sustainable travel and solo trips. Travel over autumn is growing rapidly, with bookings up 30% and sales up 39% on last year, and winter also in demand, with festive season bookings up 35%, and sales up 38%. The desire for more impactful travel continues with 64% of high-end travellers saying they are interested in making sustainable travel choices during their trips, and 42% are willing to pay more for this. The research also show that women continue to lead the solo travel trend, now making up 68% of solo adventurers. Destination-wise, trending is America, alongside Italy, France, the UK, Spain, Japan, Greece, Canada and Portugal.
