Virtuoso is a platform of specialists in luxury travel and experiences, which has 20,000 advisors in 55 countries and serves travelers in more than 130 countries, generating a transaction volume estimated at 30,000 million dollars, according to data from the company itself. , which considers the luxury traveler to those who spend at least $500 a day on their visit.
Luxury tourism was the first segment to rebound even during the first months of the pandemic, which increased hotel occupancy in certain destinations such as Cancun and Los Cabos in the case of Mexico, where the platform estimated last year that the segment’s sales could be 47% higher in 2023 than in 2019.
The firm also estimates that stays are longer as a result of the rise of digital nomads, which has led remote workers to work in places other than their place of residence, commonly in another country. This has also changed the way luxury tourists are viewed.
Upchurch says that before the pandemic, the luxury tourist was seen as one half of the market, while the other was the profile of the backpacker either backpackerwhich were considered opposites, but have now begun to synergize.
“The pandemic was a very strong blow because people saw how important it was to travel for the connection with their families, for mental health; That is why I think tourism is so important,” he explains.
For now, the CEO of Virtuoso considers that the Mexican market maintains high potential due to the combination of good quality of service and product offering, which continues to rise.
“What I love is that there are more five-star hotels in Mexico than in the entire Caribbean. Everything is growing. And when we say luxury products, there are many projects that are very different from each other,” she concludes.