Virtuoso, the leading global network renowned for luxury and experiential travel, is uniquely positioned to identify the trends influencing how, where and why people will venture in the year ahead. The Virtuoso Luxe Report: United Kingdom & Ireland once again taps the collective knowledge of the network’s esteemed travel agency members and their teams of professional travel advisors to reveal what’s next for the region’s savviest globetrotters. Japan unseats Greece as the most requested international destination, and Thailand makes its top five debut, giving Asia a stronger foothold among established European favourites.
Advisors are entering 2027 with an optimistic outlook. A majority (56 percent) expect leisure travel demand to rise slightly in the coming year, while another 23 percent anticipate a significant increase. That confidence carries through, with 76 percent predicting a slight to significant increase in spend per trip. Only 19 percent of those surveyed expect spending to remain the same, suggesting that luxury travellers are not simply maintaining current levels but accelerating their prioritisation of meaningful experiences and investing more in access, quality and time. Even with that enthusiasm, value and safety have become increasingly important considerations in where and how they travel.
The Luxe Report identified five trends shaping how the well-travelled will explore the world in 2027.
Air Supply: Personal passions and social media buzz may put a destination on the radar, but access determines whether travellers will take the next step. Expanded air service and continued investment in luxury hotels, knowledgeable guides and elevated service are providing new possibilities for certain markets. In China, broader visa-free policies are simplifying arrival, while an increase in non-stop service from London is opening more seats to Cape Town during its peak season. What once felt complicated is becoming easier to plan, navigate and recommend, turning longstanding curiosity into meaningful growth. In luxury travel, true momentum begins when all the elements are reliably within reach.
Fancy-flation: Today’s high-end traveller is shopping the exchange rate and maximising their purchasing power. Advisors report clients arriving with a budget and asking where it will go the furthest, favouring places that deliver full-tilt luxury at a friendlier price. That mindset is strengthening the appeal of Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico and Costa Rica, all offering rich experiences at a more favourable cost. Notably, nobody is trading down. They are swapping the destination while keeping the suite, private guide and hard-to-get table, on the theory that the same money simply buys more of all three somewhere else. More conversations now start with a number instead of a place, and translating one into the other is where professional travel advisors add real value.
Multi, May I?: Virtuoso recently dubbed the rise of longer, multicity trips as “city-maxxing.” Now, travellers are taking a more considered approach to how each stop fits together. Itineraries are built around contrast, pairing the intensity of a safari with the ease of a Mauritian beach, the energy of a city with the quiet of the Swiss Alps or deep cultural immersion with time to unwind. The goal is a journey with a natural rhythm, each chapter heightening the next. That requires more than choosing the right stops; it calls for an advisor who knows when to raise the tempo, when to slow it down and how to make the entire itinerary sing.
Extreme Relatives: Multigenerational travel rose two places to claim the No. 1 trend spot, while expedition cruising returned to the top 10 at No. 8. Advisors see the two beginning to converge in what Virtuoso calls “Gen-XYZ-peditions,” a far-flung adventure shared across several generations. These high-stakes family trips also lend themselves to the privacy and personalisation associated with ultraluxe travel. More than half of advisors (54 percent) reported growth in ultraluxe travel, up 17 percentage points from last year’s survey. The family holiday is becoming more private, more elaborate and an invitation increasingly worth scoring.
Solitary Refinement: Going solo once meant paying extra for the privilege of joining someone else’s trip. Today, independent guests are travelling with greater intention, designing itineraries around what they hope to achieve rather than where they want to visit. Health and wellness remains the leading category, and women-only solo travel debuts at No. 4, cited by 31 percent of advisors. Together, the findings show a segment coming into its own, with women helping lead the evolution and challenging the notion that going solo means going it alone. Destination choices are maturing in step, with France, Iceland and Bhutan all building momentum as the solo set ventures beyond familiar starting points.
Key findings from the 2027 Virtuoso Luxe Report: United Kingdom & Ireland:
Japan’s reach extended well beyond a single headline. It took the No. 1 international spot, but also landed first for solo travel, placed sixth for both family trips and honeymoons, and Tokyo rose to first among cities, ahead of Kyoto at No. 3. Elsewhere in Asia, Thailand entered the international top five at No. 4, while China debuted at No. 7 among destinations on the rise.
Antarctica’s distance did little to diminish its draw. It topped destinations on the rise and cruise itineraries, while holding the adventure lead for the third consecutive year.
Europe’s capitals staged a comeback. Paris climbed from sixth to second among cities, and London jumped from ninth to fourth. Lisbon made its top-10 debut at No. 9, giving Portugal a place on the city shortlist.
The Maldives held its honeymoon crown for the fourth year, but Italy and Greece gained ground, advancing to second and third, respectively.
Celebrations moved back to centre stage. Milestone occasions reclaimed the top travel motivation, rising from fourth, while rest and relaxation slipped from first to fifth. Getting away, it seems, is becoming less about getting away and more about marking a moment.
More than 3,100 travel advisors from Virtuoso-affiliated agencies in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and the Middle East participated in the Luxe Report survey, drawing on their extensive knowledge, professional experience and client requests to offer insight into 2027’s top trends. For additional context, the United Kingdom and Ireland findings can be viewed alongside Virtuoso’s global report, which explores luxury travel trends across regions worldwide.
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