What are the most popular luxury travel destinations and biggest luxury travel trends for 2014? Virtuoso, the luxury travel network, unveiled its annual Luxe Report, which surveys its travel advisors for their top choices in a variety of categories.
According to the 520 Virtuoso travel advisors who completed the survey (out of a potential 7,200 advisors in the Virtuoso network), the most popular international destination this year, perhaps to no one's surprise because it is a perennial favorite, is Italy (cited by 61.14 percent of those surveyed).
Virtuoso advisors then cited South Africa (40.67 percent), France (33.64 percent), Australia (24.09 percent), New Zealand (22.54 percent), England (19.95 percent), Peru (19.95 percent), Mexico (19.43 percent), Argentina (18.39 percent) and Thailand (17.10 percent).
The 10 biggest travel trends this year are multigenerational family travel (50 percent), river cruises (44.8 percent), active or adventure trips (27.4 percent), celebration travel (27.4 percent), luxury cruises (26.7 percent), culinary travel (20.8 percent), cultural travel (20.8 percent), cultural immersion( 19.4 percent), villa rentals (17.7 percent), beach resort stays (15.6 percent), and passion point travel (14.2 percent), otherwise known as romance travel.
In other results of the survey, the 10 most popular emerging destinations cited by Virtuoso advisors for 2014 are: Cuba (39.26 percent), surprising because there are still only a select few U.S. tour operators that can legally take tourists to the country under the people-to-people educational program.
Virtuoso advisors then cited other emerging destinations, in order, as Myanmar (30.37 percent), Vietnam (26.25 percent), Galapagos Islands (23.86 percent), Bhutan (22.34 percent), Cambodia (22.13 percent), Chile (21.04 percent), Iceland (17.35 percent), Turkey (15.84 percent) and Belize (15.18 percent).
The 10 most popular U.S. destinations for 2014, according to Virtuoso travel advisors, are New York City (57.22 percent), Maui (50.41 percent), Napa Valley/Sonoma (43.05 percent), Las Vegas (32.15 percent), Hawaii's Big Island (23.71 percent), Alaska (22.07 percent), San Francisco (22.07 percent), Miami/South Beach (19.62 percent), Grand Canyon (18.53 percent) and Kauai (17.98 percent).
The 10 most popular family luxury destinations for 2014, according to Virtuoso advisors, are Italy (44.35 percent), England (29.28 percent), Hawaii (26.09 percent), Costa Rica (25.51 percent), Mexico (23.77 percent), South Africa (22.09 percent), France (20.87 percent), Australia (18.55 percent), Galapagos (17.97 percent) and Orlando (16.81 percent).
On the other end of the spectrum, the 10 most popular romantic destinations are Italy (46.83 percent), French Polynesia (46.53 percent), Bali (33.23 percent), France (33.23 percent), Maldives (26.59 percent), Seychelles (19.94 percent), Maui (19.03 percent), Fiji (18.43 percent), St. Lucia (17.22 percent) and St. Barts (13.6 percent).
Virtuoso also unveiled its annual "Hot List" of the fastest growing destinations worldwide, as cited by Virtuoso advisors, base don the largest percentage of tourism growth in 2013. That list was let by Malaysia (107 percent growth), Maldives (91 percent), Puerto Rico (68 percent), Belize (51 percent), Cambodia (45 percent), Portugal (41 percent), Tanzania (41 percent), Croatia (40 percent), Sweden (34 percent) and Mexico (30 percent).
Virtuoso also found there was a rebound in tourism among destinations with lower 2012 sales numbers. Portugal, in particular, which was hit by the European debt crisis, enjoyed a 34 percent increase in air sales and a 62 percent increase in hotel sales. Spain (air sales up 13 percent, hotel sales up 25 percent), Ireland (air sales up 13 percent, hotel sales up 28 percent), and Greece (hotel sales up 59 percent) also enjoyed significant growth.
Among North American countries, Mexico had the highest growth rate with an increase in year-over-year sales of 30 percent and a 50 percent increase in luxury hotel sales. Meanwhile, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia were the most popular countries for leisure travel in Asia. Vietnam was the most booked country, with hotel sales doubling. Cambodia also saw its hotel sales double, plus a seven percent increase in airline sales. Malaysia hotel sales surged more than eight times its 2012 numbers.
On the cruise front, the 10 most popular cruise itineraries for 2014, according to Virtuoso advisors, are the Mediterranean (68.64 percent), Alaska (67.46 percent), European River (66.57 percent), Caribbean (46.15 percent), Baltic (30.18 percent), Galapagos (25.74 percent), Greek Isles (21.89 percent), Australia/New Zealand (18.64 percent), South America (18.34 percent) and Southeast Asia (15.09 percent.).
According to the survey, the top five reasons why the affluent are traveling in 2014 are: exploring new destinations (77 percent), rest and relaxation (55 percent), seeking authentic experiences in new destinations (54 percent), rediscovering previously visited destinations (44 percent) and personal enrichment (36 percent).
The survey also found that luxury travelers are considering the following factors when choosing a vacation in 2014: destination (54.2 percent), once in a lifetime experience (29.37 percent), value for money (20.98 percent), activities available (13.29 percent) and price (13.29 percent).
And good news for agents (since this is a survey of high-end travel agents): The five most influential sources of information for luxury travelers are: a travel advisor's advice (80 percent), world of mouth from friends or family (75 percent), travel publications (32.3 percent), travel website reviews and recommendations (24 percent), and travel and lifestyle websites (19.6 percent).
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