Virtuoso Looks at Canadian Travel Habits: Family and Adventure Travel on the Rise

Canadians want to take adventure travel vacations and family trips that create closer bonds and lasting memories, says a new study by global luxury travel network Virtuoso.

Speaking at a packed press conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Virtuoso officials said that both multigenerational travel and family travel are among the top trends among Canadians in this year’s Luxe Report.

The hottest family destinations for Canadians were Italy and Mexico (a tie for first), followed by Orlando, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Australia, England, Vancouver and a tie between Toronto and France.

The top ten unconventional family spots Canadians are looking at are Iceland, South Africa, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, Botswana and Mongolia (tie), Japan, The Arctic, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and French Polynesia.

The top ten family travel trends in the latest Luxe Report were beach resort stays, active or adventure trips, celebration travel, mother/daughter or father/son trips, touring (guided or private), ocean cruising, educational trips, cultural immersion, group travel and relaxation/seclusion.

Virtuoso is a by-invitation only, global network and is “the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel.” Members include travel agencies and companies that sell travel, as well as hotels, cruise lines, tour operators and others.

The network doesn’t accept any chains in their entirety but instead only deals with individual properties that are deemed worthy.

Virtuoso has 185 travel agency locations in Canada, “including some of the biggest and brands in the country,” said Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch.

“What they all have in common is a reputation and a track record for knowing how to serve the luxury and experiential traveller,” he said.

Upchurch also said Canada is one of the fastest growing countries in the Virtuoso network.

All told, Virtuoso has 1,000 travel agency partners with 17,500 elite travel advisors in more than 45 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. The company has preferred relationships with 1,700 of the world’s top hotels and resort, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premiere destinations.

They had more than $30.5 billion in annual sales last year, and their yearly Virtuoso Week event in Las Vegas last year saw 385,000 meetings take place.

Upchurch talked not only about where Canadians are going (check TravelPulse Canada later this week for a list of Canadians’ top picks for this coming summer) but also about the travel business in general.

Upchurch said some travellers still shy away from using travel agents, perhaps for fear of paying too much but also because they don’t want to look as if they can’t navigate the web and book trips on their own.

But a good travel agent who specializes in a particular area or who knows their client and knows where to find the best information is invaluable.

“When your advisor knows somebody personally, something magical happens.”

He also said a great agent “creates value before the trip, during the trip and after the trip.”

Virtuoso’s David Kolner, Senior Vice President Global Membership Partnerships, said Canadians also are looking to visit “go while you can” places around the world, including The Great Barrier Reef, The Arctic, Antarctica, Venice and Machu Picchu.

“While sun-and-sand trips rise to first place from second in 2017, these are not the traditional fly-and-flop vacations," Virtuoso officials said. "Families seek beach resorts with plenty of activities to keep the entire group engaged. Adventure travel is the second most popular trend, continuing the niche’s recent boom,

"With today’s fast pace of life, travel is a perfect way to gather loved ones together for a landmark celebration, or carve out time for parent/child bonding. Today’s families view travel as an important educational tool, immersing them in different cultures, bringing classroom lessons alive, and shaping global citizens.”