LAS VEGAS — With all the not-so-great news in the world, especially surrounding travel (skyrocketing fuel prices, reduced airline schedules, geo-political conflicts), it was refreshing to start Virtuoso Travel Week on a good note.

David Kolner, Virtuoso’s executive vice president, strategic communications, took to the stage to talk Virtuoso by the numbers to the more than 4,000 attendees.

Travelweek is in Las Vegas this week for the annual Virtuoso event, marking its 38th year.

Advisors at the luxury travel network have seen a 20.8% increase in sales year over year – stats taken from the first half of 2026 and projections for the full year.

David Kolner, Virtuoso’s Executive Vice President, Strategic Communications

Canada alone has seen a 13.4% increase, said Kolner. This is over nine global regions, in more than 50 countries and 20,000 advisors. “And, in all markets, growth of preferred partner sales is outpacing non-preferred partner sales,” he added.

And what’s ahead for 2026? “It’s giving main character energy for fall,” Kolner said.

The outlook for autumn 2026 shows increased bookings at 69% vs 59% over the same period in 2025; festive sales are clocking in at 56%. Virtuoso clients are also planning further ahead, fuelled by multi-gen and celebration travel trends. “We’re seeing sales for preferred bookings one to two years out, already up 50% compared to the same time last year,” he said.

The future certainly looks bright. After polling 1900 global Virtuoso members, 68% felt optimistic when it came to how they feel about their businesses right now.

So why is everyone so optimistic? “It’s all about clients and financial performance,” said Kolner, “and a new factor we’re tracking: optimism around technology, and emerging tools. And that’s particularly for members, and particularly for millennials.”

It’s unique, too, that there are now five working generations as advisors, “and Gen X, we see you.”

Wellness tourism continues to gain significantly, with a 9% growth rate, estimated to reach $1.4 trillion by 2029. In Virtuoso’s proprietary research, nearly one in four global luxury travellers cited health and wellness as the reason for a leisure trip.

The 2026 Virtuoso impact report found that 72% of members say climate is changing clients’ travel planning, and 82% of partners are concerned about its impacts.

But according to Kolner, that sentiment isn’t deterring growth. “Bookings in European hotels are up 33% so far. Travel plays a critical role in Europe, growing nearly four times faster than the rest of the economy there.”

But what’s different? “September alone has nearly doubled sales in the last two years,” said Kolner, “and the pacing shows that September may actually outsell August this year. Things are not cooling down anytime soon.”

2026 Virtuoso Travel Week is happening all this week in Las Vegas, at The Bellagio, Aria, Vdara and The Cosmopolitan. Watch for more coverage in Travelweek Daily.