The Virtuoso AUNZ Forum has wrapped up in Fiji after three days of networking, collaboration, learning and of course a little fun (or a lot … hey, this is Fiji!).
Held at the beautiful Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, the sold-out event saw nearly 200 delegates in attendance, including around 90 travel agency owner-managers, 45 registered partners and major sponsors including Tourism Fiji, Accor Hotels and Resorts (including Sofitel Fiji), Switzerland Tourism, Explora Journeys, Oceania Cruises and Seabourn.
Virtuoso Forums promote learning, sharing and empowerment – and there was no shortage of that over the three days, as delegates took in peer-to-peer programs and knowledge sessions from outside experts and network leadership.
Among the professional development sessions to take place were a presentation on social media marketing for business, a “Mind Matters” session encouraging participants to make positive changes in their lives, a talk on improving communication, and a session devoted to “Unlocking the Virtuoso Value: for Partners”.
During the event, guests heard how fiercely travel had returned (especially within the luxury sector) post-pandemic, despite challenges such as geopolitical conflict, environmental issues, and economic concerns in Australia and abroad.
Attendees also heard, encouragingly, that three in 10 (30 per cent) affluent Australians intend to spend more on travel in 2023.
The Virtuoso Difference
There was also positive news about Virtuoso itself. With 1,200 agency locations worldwide, the network now comprised more than 21,000 travel advisors, 2,340 preferred partners and a whopping US$28-32 billion (approximately AU$42-48 billion) in normalised annual sales.
Virtuoso clients also spent more than four times as much as those booking through direct means (2022 vs 2019), showing how the luxury network was easily outperforming other channels.
The most popular countries for AU/NZ Virtuoso travellers so far in 2023 are Japan, US, UK, France, Italy and Greece.
Meanwhile, cruise bookings are going through the roof, with cruise business in 2022 (for 2023 travel) up 27 per cent on pre-pandemic numbers.
Overall, Virtuoso bookings for AU/NZ (made in 2022 for 2023 travel) grew a massive 52 per cent on 2019 levels.
One of the biggest announcements at the event was the unveiling of Virtuoso’s new Advisor Recruitment Program.
Addressing delegates, Virtuoso General Manager Australia and New Zealand Fiona Dalton said the new tool offered member agencies “a pool of advisors looking to sell travel, who understand the value of Virtuoso and are committed to making their career successful through professional development and Virtuoso engagement”.
In other news, travel advisor group itravel has joined the Virtuoso network through its new ‘LUXE by itravel’ division. itravel managing director Steve Labroski told Karryon in Fiji that a lot of agents had already joined the initiative. Stay tuned to Karryon for more on itravel.
Karryon was a guest of Virtuoso, and flew to Nadi courtesy of Fiji Airways.
Twenty-seven Aussie Virtuoso travel advisors just returned from a mega famil in South Africa. Read about it here.
Earlier this month, a new Virtuoso study also revealed the new most popular European city for luxury travellers.
