Virtuoso Australia/New Zealand today reported an epic four-fold increase in completions for its travel academy modules in 2023, as members of the luxury travel network knuckled down on upskilling their staff’s knowledge.
Speaking at the opening of the 2024 Virtuoso Forum Australia/New Zealand in Bangkok this morning, Fiona Dalton, outgoing General Manager, Virtuoso Australia/New Zealand, revealed a range of data collated over the past year, as Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and CEO revealed the consortia was evaluating a strategy to assist member/owners develop their advisors skills.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we believe it was not only important but critical to ensure our Virtuoso advisors invested in their professional development in a way that kept them relevant, and boy did they step up,” Dalton remarked.
Virtuoso Travel Academy module completions by members in Australia and New Zealand skyrocketed from 2,400 in 2022, to beyond 10,000 in just 12 months as advisors stepped up to improve their knowledge.
Dalton said of the 10,044 modules completed by advisors, over 400 were focused on Virtuoso’s core training modules – making it the highest completion outside the United States.
She recognised the huge uptick in module completions came during a “tsunami of demand” and pressure on agencies in 2023, coping with the ‘famine to feast’ scenario as luxury travel boomed.
Dalton said the strategy and education led to a 95% increase in preferred partner sales last year, “an outcome that we never could have predicted when we set out to build for the future 12 months ago.”
“It leaves me confident and excited about where we’re headed,” she said. Dalton is handing over the reins as GM to Greg Treasure (pictured above with Dalton) and will step back from the business in the coming weeks.
Three new members joined Virtuoso in Australia and New Zealand in the past 12 months, including Caboolture Cruise & Travel, Gallivanter Travel and Claremont Cruise & Travel Centre.
According to Tourism Economics data, double-digit growth in outbound Australian leisure travel is forecast for the next four years (until 2027), sliding from 29.3% this year to 22.8% in 2025, 19.3% in 2026 and 13.9% in 2027. The significantly high outbound rate in 2024 comes at the detriment of domestic travel which is flagged to only increase by less than 2%.
LATTE is in Bangkok at Virtuoso Forum AU/NZ as a guest of Virtuoso.
The six primary drawcards for Australian and New Zealanders to take leisure trips, according to YouGov, are: relaxation (62%), adventure (37%), cultural visits (30%), romantic getaways (29%), celebrations (27%) and nature/eco tourism (21%). Interestingly, spa and wellness has dropped out of the most popular reasons.
Traveller preferences have also altered, with 10% more people (50%) visiting multiple destinations in one trip, while the lure of all-inclusive offerings is down 4 percentage points to 34%. Meanwhile, gaining access to exclusive locations and experiences has surged from 32% to 38%, the latest Virtuoso/YouGOB Brand Survey found.
Interestingly, Antarctica (16%) is now in a four-way split with the Maldives (16%), South Korea (15%) and Portugal (15%) as the second most voted emerging global destination that most interests Aussies and Kiwis. However, Japan is a clear favourite, capturing more than a third (34%) of the market’s interest.
Dalton said Antarctica’s presence in the emerging market reflects the increased capacity in expedition cruising, with multiple new ships entering the space in recent years, including Seabourn and Viking. She suggested advisors capitalise on the growing interest in the White Continent.
“We knew that expedition cruising and polar cruising was on the rise in Australia but it should be our core focus to convert that consideration over the next 12 months.”
Dalton also highlighted a range of other data from 2023, which saw Virtuoso AU/NZ operate 13 events, attracting over 13,160 advisors and 306 partners, creating more than 35,400 connections – with a satisfaction rating of 99.2%
“Events clearly resonated last year, both with our members and with our partners in a very engaged community way,” Dalton said.
On the marketing front and Virtuoso AU/NZ’s direct-to-consumer drive, stories about the brand were viewed more than 93 million times, including a 49% increase in stories and an 82% increase in impressions.
The outgoing MD also revealed that the first batch of advisors from the region were set to graduate from the VCTA (Virtuoso Certified Travel Advisor) program. Eleven advisors who took the course in October last year will graduate next month.
Additionally, the 44 advisors in the region that participated in Virtuoso’s intensive Deep Dive hosted by Michele Duncan, Regional Professional Development and Training Specialist – Australia and NZ provided a 100% customer satisfaction score, indicating “they were a great investment of their time.”
“All in all, it was a wonderful year of professional development.”
“While our collective successes are to be celebrated…we cannot rest on our laurels,” Dalton said.
“We are living in a rapidly changing world filled with challenges and opportunities, such that today’s decisions will profoundly impact our collective tomorrow’s.”
Building on past successes, this week’s Virtuoso AU/NZ Forum will be used to shape “our collective future through taking meaningful actions”. As is the blueprint of Virtuoso Forum, the two-day event aims to foster collaboration and innovative ideas between travel agencies and suppliers, and jumpstart action.
This morning’s session also served as a platform for the new Virtuoso General Manager, Australia/NZ, Greg Treasure to formally introduce himself to Owner/Managers.
Just seven days in the role after his recent appointment, Treasure said of his first week at Virtuoso’s regional head office in Sydney, “no matter who I spoke to the amount of consistent feedback about the quality of our members and the spirit and collaboration partnership with our partners is just tremendous.”
