Virtuoso released its 2026 Luxe Report, the results of which include compelling information about luxury travel trends for the coming year, along with information on top global and emerging destinations, travel niches and much more – all gleaned from the network’s agency-affiliated advisors.
In fact, the 2026 edition of the annual the annual Luxe Report has received the highest number of responses ever – 2,485 in all.
“The findings also serve as a roadmap for how the luxury travel advisor community at large can maximize revenue and grow their client base by diving into what matters most to savvy travelers,” Virtuoso said.
Although the report noted that luxury travelers are cognizant of rising costs, they are still willing to spend more if they see value in the travel experiences themselves. “This makes their relationship with a trusted travel advisor even more essential,” Virtuoso said.
“Nearly half of Virtuoso advisors surveyed foresee a slight rise in travel demand next year, with 18 percent anticipating a significant increase. Spend per trip is expected to remain high, with 55 percent predicting a modest increase and 28 percent expecting spend to stay the same.”
Furthermore, respondents noted that “luxury travelers are no longer satisfied with luxury for its own sake. Instead, they are pursuing exotic encounters, slowing down to savor each moment and curating journeys that are meaningful, restorative and deeply personal,” Virtuoso said.
The report also pinpointed a number of trends in terms of what luxury travelers are looking for next year. Here’s a look at three of them.
Crowd Control
“For today’s well-heeled traveler, comfortable climates and the freedom to enjoy the destination unencumbered by crowds are the new luxury,” Virtuoso said, adding that a growing number of travelers are eschewing over touristed destination with an eye toward sustainable travel experiences that can be had in places like Greenland, Iceland, Antarctica and Bhutan, and shoulder-season travel to perennially popular countries like Italy and France.
Main Character Synergy
Film and television shows are peaking the interest of luxury travel looking for adventurous experiences.
“The White Lotus continues to turn its dramatic destinations into must-sees, while K-dramas and the new KPop Demon Hunters are calling fans to South Korea, Virtuoso said. “In the U.K., Cornwall’s rugged coast and fishing villages – filming locations for House of the Dragon and Poldark – pull visitors into the narrative.”
“This aligns with the rise of cultural immersion, which has climbed four spots since last year to become a top five trend for 2026,” Virtuoso added.
Unlimited Luxe
The report added a new category – ultra-luxury travel – to the 2026 report, with 45 percent of respondents noting that they witnessed an uptick in requests for that category.
“What’s especially notable is that ultraluxe is now defined by having every detail seamlessly included,” Virtuoso said. “Once viewed as mainstream convenience, ‘all-inclusive’ has been elevated to cover everything from private transfers and Michelin-level dining to resort buyouts where chefs, wellness experts and guides are entirely at the guest’s disposal.”.
Top Travel Trends, Destinations
In other news from the report, top travel trends were family travel, multigenerational family travel, active/adventure trips, cultural immersion and expedition cruising, respectively.
It should come as no surprise that Italy was the name No. 1 as the top five global destinations, followed Japan, Greece, France and Croatia.
Paris took the top spot as the No. 1 top city, followed by Tokyo, Barcelona, Kyoto and Rome, and the top five designations on the rise were Iceland, Antarctica, Norway, Morocco and Egypt .
The top five cruise itineraries were the Mediterranean, Alaska, Greek Isles, Danube River and Antarctica.
Antarctica took first place as the top five adventure destination, followed by Iceland, South Africa, Costa Rica, and Kenya.
Italy also scored as No. 1 solo destination, followed by France, Japan, Canada and the UK, with the top solo experience being adventure travel/trekking, health and wellness, guided tours, cultural exploration and culinary travel.
On the family travel front, top the five destinations were Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, the US and Greece.
Under the new ultraluxe travel experiences category, all-inclusive experiences took the spot, followed by celebration travel, privacy active/adventure trips, and hyper-personalized experiences.
The 2,485 advisors who participated in the 2026 Luxe Report hailed from Virtuoso-affiliated agencies in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
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