Virtuoso tips international hotel and advance bookings to surge past pre-pandemic levels next year as more airline capacity comes online, noting Aussie and Kiwi luxury travellers are willing to spend up to 37 per cent more for daily rates overseas.
The Virtuoso global network shared its 2022 wrap of luxury insights and trends for Australian and New Zealand travellers, drawing on its database of USD$49.5 billion-plus in transactions.
Forward bookings show high-value travellers are now booking 11 months in advance, up 25 per cent on 2022 levels. This is likely due to increasing rates, lack of inventory and travel demand.
Despite increasing daily rates, Virtuoso found luxury travellers are willing to spend more for international travel (up to 37%) and domestic travel (up to 44%) compared to 2019 prices.
Trending destinations
USA continues to top Aussie wish lists with bookings outpacing 2019 visitation levels by 60 per cent in 2022. This is set to increase in 2023, sped up by airlines normalising scheduling to deliver capacity on transpacific routes.
Hawai’i and California were the most popular states for luxe travellers with Colorado, Nevada and Washington emerging as 2023 contenders.
Europe was also a firm favourite. Italy was the clear winner, followed by France, Greek Islands, Spain and the UK in the top five however Switzerland will overtake Spain in popularity in 2023. Dubai is shaping up as the most popular Middle East destination next year.
As noted in Google’s top searches for 2022, Japan’s reopening news placed the nation in the 2023 trending destinations list behind perennial Aussie faves Singapore and Thailand.
Domestic travel is also continuing to trend. Virtuoso reported double the number of domestic visits in 2022 compared to 2019. Perth, Broome and Darwin were top of the list for Aussie locations due to the demand for luxury Kimberley cruises.
For more info, head to virtuoso.com/travel
