Skift Take

Luxury travelers show a growing interest in particular types of travel, such as multi-generational private group trips, according to some of the leading agencies.

Selene Brophy

Luxury travel planners are seeing an uptick in bookings, driven by a demand for remote destinations, exclusive group travel, and passion-centered experiences.

Virtuoso said that more than half of its network of more than 20,000 luxury travel advisers estimate their clients will spend more on trips this year. In the first half of last year, Virtuoso's global sales were 69% higher than its pre-pandemic highs of 2019. Virtuoso's booking trends for this year so far are on pace to make 2024 another record year.

The continued strength is remarkable, given how bullish sales were in 2023. Kensington Tours, a luxury travel agency, said luxury trip values rose 9% last year.

Skift spoke with leading operators in the space. We came away with seven emerging trends set to shape luxury travel in the year ahead.

1. Group Outings

Intimate group travel remains important for families and friends post-pandemic. Luxury private group tours continue to drive performance for Black Tomato, making up 30% of its bookings in 2023, and the luxury travel company sees continued momentum from its 2024 bookings.   

Black Tomato revealed its "See You in the Moment" trips towards the end of last year, dedicated to this growing travel segment that "prioritizes coming together to share and celebrate special moments." These itineraries are designed to "take the friction out of group travel," as the company's travel experts work with each individ