WHY IT RATES: Australia is only one of three destinations to host Virtuoso's Symposium twice. -Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
Virtuoso announced that it will hold its 2019 Virtuoso Symposium in Melbourne, May 7-11. This will mark the second time Australia has played host to Virtuoso's Symposium, with the first being Sydney in 2009. Australia will join a short list of destinations-Hong Kong and Spain-that have hosted this prestigious group of luxury travel executives on two different occasions.
Virtuoso's strong partnership with Tourism Australia, which continues to promote Australia as a premium travel destination, is credited with bringing Symposium back for a return visit.
The event will bring approximately 500 of the most influential decision-makers in the luxury travel industry to Australia for a week-long conference that includes business meetings, networking events and experiences that highlight the destination.
With approximately 50 percent of the Symposium attendees being travel agency owners or managers from across the globe, this is an incredible opportunity for Victoria, and Australia more broadly, to showcase its premium offerings to the top luxury travel agencies in the world.
Tourism Australia, along with Visit Victoria, are sponsoring the event.
"Australia's diverse and world-class tourism offering provides premium travelers with a unique and unforgettable experience every time they visit," said John O'Sullivan, managing director, Tourism Australia. "This event will allow Australian tourism operators to engage with the travel advisors who are responsible for selling Australia to the world and show them first-hand what makes our country so special."
"Australia is a country of great significance to me, both personally and professionally, and I couldn't be happier that our Virtuoso Symposium is returning to this incredible country for a second time," said Matthew D. Upchurch, Virtuoso chairman and CEO.
"In 2004, we began operating in the market and we now have a solid base of 89 travel agency locations in Australia, our largest membership outside of North America," added Upchurch. "This is a region where we see continued growth and the potential for more from an outbound perspective. Our agency members are eager to host their counterparts from 44 other countries and show them exactly what Australia has to offer their clients, which will drive greater inbound tourism for the country."
Tourism Australia has worked with Virtuoso in North America since 2015 with the aim of building a greater connection between the international luxury market and Australia's highly desirable luxury offering.
"Tourism Australia's strategy is all about targeting high-value travelers who spend more money and time in Australia," said O'Sullivan. "Our partnership with Virtuoso is an important aspect of this strategy as Virtuoso focuses solely on curating luxury travel experiences for its premium clientele. Our successful and ongoing partnership with Virtuoso, as well as the hosting of its Symposium, provides a great platform for us to target those high-value travelers."
When planning visits to Australia for its upscale clientele, Virtuoso draws upon its preferred relationships with 1,700 of the world's best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations to provide exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access.
Virtuoso has agencies in more than 45 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Responsible for a phenomenal $23.7 billion in sales annually and specializing in luxury and experiential travel, Virtuoso comprises over 1,000 travel agency locations with 17,500 elite travel advisors.
Melbourne will be in good company, as Virtuoso holds its annual Symposium in some of the world's most exciting cities, from Cairo to Cannes, Singapore to St. Petersburg, Madrid to Mexico City, Buenos Aires to Berlin. The network's most recent Symposium took place March 17-22, in an industry-first event aboard seven competing river cruise ships on the Rhine River.
For more information on Virtuoso, its preferred partners or travel agency members, visit Virtuoso.com.
SOURCE: Virtuoso press release.
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