Top Destination Trending this Year

SAN DIEGO - Oct. 28, 2014 - PRLog -- Leading luxury travel network, Virtuoso, harnessing data from its worldwide travel agency members like Travelworld of Coronado, revealed where the affluent will be venturing for the remainder of 2014, including the crucial holiday time and winter months.

Announced during the network's annual Virtuoso Travel Week event where the team of Travelworld participated, Virtuoso shared the top destinations for travel overall as well as those spots that are seeing the fastest growth, while also sharing insight on how and why consumers are making travel decisions.  The results ... a surge in demand for Down Under, some surprises in Central Europe and the next evolution in family travel – global citizenship.

Virtuoso Chairman and CEO, Matthew D. Upchurch, shared insights on the buying habits and motivations of upscale travelers.  He noted that the same consumer is buying travel in two polar opposite ways: planning upwards of a year in advance for certain trips while also booking close-in, impulse trips to round out their travels.  Several factors are driving the high demand, most notably the massive rise in tourism with more than one billion people now crossing international borders as tourists, the rise in affluence throughout the world and, of course, the 78 million Baby Boomers who are now traveling.

"One of the smartest things you can do, if you have the means, is take your kids to China or India or Brazil," says Upchurch.  "These countries will influence much of the business being done now and in the future, and kids who have insight into these cultures, who learn to adapt in unfamiliar surroundings early on, and who gain an understanding of the world around them, will have a certain advantage when it's time to enter the workforce."

Upchurch also shared how travelers are approaching many of these destinations.  For the tried and true places, people are looking to experience them in a new way, visiting lesser known sites, absorbing more of the local culture, looking for anything not found in a guide book and, probably most telling, seeking a certain 'feeling' rather than basing destination choices on what to see and do.  His other observation is that travelers are on a hunt to "collect countries."

"There is a race towards trying to get to some of the more pristine places because of the rise in mass tourism and globalization.  The opening up of some of the new, non-traditional destinations that we've identified, offer even more incentive for travelers to explore."

Travel to Virtuoso's 10 most popular destinations are averaging an 18 percent uptick:

1. Italy

2. United Kingdom

3. France

4. Canada

5. Spain

6. Germany

7. Mexico

8. South Africa

9. Netherlands

10. Greece

On the HOT LIST you have New Zealand, Chile and Indonesia.

Central Europe is experiencing a surge:  Hungary (86%), Croatia (68%), Austria (48%), Poland (48%), and Czech Republic (23%).  Russia, however, has seen a sharp decline, down 69%.  Overall, travel to European countries is up by 23%.

Virtuoso also provided a glimpse at the network's typical client, sharing that the median age is 56 years (53% are age 35-64) and 70% are married or partnered.  They are affluent with $200,000 median household income and a net worth of $1.75 million.  And, they are well-traveled with 95% owning a passport and 47% prepared to take 4-7 or even more trips this year.

About Virtuoso:
Virtuoso® is the leading network of luxury travel advisors and entities.  This by-invitation-only organization comprises 340 agencies with more than 8,900 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,700 of the world's best travel providers and premier destinations.  The network's member agencies generate over $12.5 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment.  Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network's affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com. To view Virtuoso's latest videos, go to www.youtube.com/user/VirtuosoTraveler.

About Travelworld of Coronado:
Travelworld of Coronado specializes in luxury travel with services that go far beyond your typical travel agency . Their mission is to explore the world with you – presenting their clients with ideas and advice from the early planning stages until they arrive home.  A family-owned and run business, Travelworld is part of one of the world’s luxury travel networks, Virtuoso. The team has ventured worldwide to bring clients firsthand knowledge of what to expect from their own future travel. They offer clients more than 35 years of experience and unrivaled attention to service and detail and are accredited space agents. #DoYouTravelworld