Under normal circumstances, Las Vegas is probably the last place on earth I would volunteer to be in August. For those of us who live in the Northern half of the country, summer is the time we strive to be outdoors before the days get short again, and the rain and snow begins.
But every year in the second week of August in Las Vegas, there’s an event compelling enough to get me to the desert (“… but it’s a dry heat!!”). Virtuoso Travel Week is to luxury travel what Paris Fashion Week is to the haute-couture apparel industry. Bob and I get to renew our relationships with the powers-that-be at the cruise lines and other travel providers, as well as learn what’s new in the world of luxury leisure travel.
To clear up any misconceptions, we are NOT planning to fly to Vegas and check into the Bellagio with our facemasks and haz-mat suits this year! Virtuoso made the decision a couple of months ago to host the 2020 Travel Week as a virtual event. I am not under any illusions here – it won’t be near as much fun attending this from our home office as it would to be together with our peers and suppliers sharing laughs in the hallways.
The good news is that my feet won’t be near as swollen this year (a by-product of any trade show), and I have a high level of confidence that there will still be tons of learning opportunities.
The big two questions that everyone wants answers to are:
- When will be able to travel abroad again, like we used to do?
- What are the new travel protocols, and precautions going to look like?
Frankly, those are NOT the questions I am looking for answers to. Here’s why:
- Anyone who says they know when life will return to normal is a charlatan or delusional.
- Each travel provider, whether it be a hotel, air carrier or cruise line has extensive literature and videos on their website for what they are doing to manage covid for however long this is part of our reality.
Instead, I’ll be coming with a different group of questions.
I want to know about new destinations, properties, or products that might interest our clients. I want to know what trends are emerging in the industry, and how the pandemic might have changed how and where people will travel. Next year is already more booked up than any year has been previously at this point, so where is the pent-up demand going to show itself?
In the short term, domestic travel will likely rule the roost. What domestic products are out there that I might not be as familiar with that our clients (with their new expectations) might be interested in?
There are about 1500 leisure travel suppliers at this virtual event. Essentially every cruise line and tour operator that you’ve heard of is attending. There are also a whole bunch you haven’t heard of. So – what do you want to know?
- What destinations would you consider travelling to in the next six months?
- What type of experiences would you consider at this time?
- With the shorter-term focus on domestic travel, which destinations in the Lower 48 are of the most interest to you?
- Are there any other questions we can ask on your behalf of the leaders of these travel vendors?
Please reply with your thoughts about these questions on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2765581517057678
If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
