The 2024 Virtuoso Travel Week wrapped up on August 16, bringing together industry leaders for a week of focused meetings, networking, and destination showcases.
This 36th annual event is the preeminent gathering in luxury travel, where the most influential voices come together to explore new ways to elevate experiences for the world’s most discerning travelers.
Over 5,000 attendees were on hand, making it one of the most prestigious events on the luxury travel calendar.
Representing EXO Travel at this year’s Las Vegas event were Amanda Pilar, Director of North American Sales, Kate Winslow, Sales Manager – North America, Mathilde Oriel, LUXE Manager – EXO Japan, and Natthanicha (Meen) Eamsumang, LUXE Manager- EXO Thailand.
The EXO Travel team was able to meet with dozens of existing partners as well as those interested in working with EXO, highlighting the value that we bring as a trusted partner in the Virtuoso community.
‘We enjoyed four days of meaningful, engaging conversation and walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and drive in serving our Virtuoso partners.’
This year, the show shifted from short assigned appointments to longer matched appointments.
Kate explained, ‘These matched appointments were invaluable. They allowed us to chat with advisors who are keenly interested in selling Asia through EXO Travel. We enjoyed four days of meaningful, engaging conversation and walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and drive in serving our Virtuoso partners.’
EXO Travel’s presence at the event was met with positive feedback, particularly regarding our knowledgeable in-country teams.
Kate added, ‘We received excellent feedback about our destination teams and the insight they provide. EXO continues to be a trusted partner in the Virtuoso community, and the face-to-face meetings provided a valuable opportunity to share best practices when booking through us, especially with regards to Japan, which remains hugely popular with luxury travellers’.
‘Korea was a hit anytime we mentioned it. I expect
we will be very busy in the near future’
In between meetings, Virtuoso Travel Week also featured a full menu of symposiums, seminars and training events. There were many themes and trends discussed, from sustainability to wellness.
‘There was a strong focus on wellness at this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week’, Amanda notes. ‘Overall there is a greater awareness around wellbeing and avoiding burnout and this is driving demand for wellness-focused journeys and experiences’.
The lingering effects of COVID-19 on the travel industry were also a topic of discussion but in a positive light. ‘Many advisors believe that Southeast Asia is just now beginning to bounce back after COVID’, Amanda explains. ‘Whereas we have already seen the post-COVID demand rebound in Japan, we can expect to see increasing and sustained demand for EXO’s other destinations in the coming years’.
Korea, EXO’s newest destination, was also a hot topic among travel partners. Mathilde remarked, ‘Korea was a hit anytime we mentioned it. I expect we will be very busy in the near future’.
Meen adds, ‘Some advisors were pleasantly surprised we are now operating in Korea and Saudi Arabia. With our growing portfolio of destinations and consistently high quality of service, it’s a plus and makes us a strong DMC for the Virtuoso market’.
About EXO Travel:
EXO Travel is a premium Destination Management Company (DMC) providing bespoke travel solutions across a growing portfolio of global destinations. Established in 1993, we’ve harnessed in-depth local knowledge and a widely-recognized penchant for authentic, groundbreaking touring to become a leading DMC for the premium travel market. We have been a Virtuoso Preferred Supplier since 2008 and as a Certified B Corporation, EXO is also demonstrably committed to sustainability and using travel as a force for good.
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