Setting The Stage For Recovery
The 32nd annual Virtuoso Travel Week brought together the top travel professionals from around the world, setting the stage for the industry’s recovery. Over 4,000 attendees from 96 countries participated in luxury travel’s largest virtual event, demonstrating the importance of human connection and continued learning.
There were 72,768 one-to-one meetings between the network’s travel advisors and preferred partners, 20 professional development classes led by renowned presenters, 50 destination- focused training sessions, a featured sustainability session, “Under One Sky,” plus inspirational keynotes delivered by Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch and businesswoman Sheila Johnson.
During the Opening Ceremony, Upchurch tied future success to transformation and faster adaptability – a core focus of Virtuoso well before the pandemic.
Virtuoso’s chairman and CEO also emphasized the network’s investment in innovation around prospecting and interactive client engagement to ultimately foster deeper connections with highly valued Virtuoso advisors.
Upchurch also emphasized that businesses of any size can interact with their customers digitally and connected this to Virtuoso’s own strategy, stating: “great content is a key to gaining consumer credibility and the award-winning content of Virtuoso Life will be leveraged across print and digital.”
The company’s digital strategy includes Virtuoso Wanderlist a free interactive social site for travel dreaming that uses visualization and personal sharing to make it fun and engaging.
New areas on Virtuoso.com were also highlighted by Upchurch including Destinations and Inspirations, which connect to Wanderlist and are collectively designed to drive consumer demand around where to go and what to do the “Virtuoso way.”
The interlaced product suite of Virtuoso Life, Wanderlist and Virtuoso.com converge to connect highly engaged travel clients to trusted Virtuoso advisors who can make their travel dreams a reality.
Another key focus was sustainability, with the “Under One Sky” summit hosted by Virtuoso Vice Chair and Sustainability Strategist Jessica Hall Upchurch.
The session underscored the organization’s dedication to making sustainability a greater factor in consumer choice.
Hall Upchurch observed that the world is poised for a “conscious comeback” and noted how the pandemic has led to a tipping point where the traveler’s heightened level of awareness makes sustainability not just good practice but good business. Guest speakers on the panel sponsored by andBeyond and the Monaco Government Tourist Office further emphasized the positive economic and business results delivered when sustainability is a core strategic focus — including the role travel advisors play in education and influence.
Go to www.virtuoso.com for more.
