On Location: Virtuoso in Vegas – Canadians still travelling, but luxury is getting more intentional, advisors say

Luxury travellers may be watching prices, geopolitics and even the weather more closely, but one thing remains clear from the front lines: they aren’t giving up their trips.

For Canadian travellers in particular, demand remains remarkably resilient, with bookings for 2026 running ahead of an already strong 2025 and early business for 2027 pointing even higher.

That was among the takeaways from a global travel advisor panel held Monday (Aug. 10) at ARIA Resort & Casino during Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, where PAX is covering the luxury conference on location.

The discussion brought together four travel pros from four corners of the world: Stephanie Malakie of U.S.-based Empress Travel Club, Susan Lawson, vice president, sales, marketing & partnerships at Canada’s Trevello Travel Group, Nicole Li of Alma Burton Luxury Travel in Taiwan and Josie Turner of 360 Private Travel in the United Kingdom.

While each market has its nuances, the advisors painted a remarkably consistent picture: luxury travel remains strong, but the definition of luxury is changing.

Travellers are becoming more intentional about where their money goes. They’re seeking deeper experiences, reconsidering destinations when necessary, embracing smaller luxury cruise ships and, increasingly, looking to advisors to help separate genuine value from online hype.

Canada keeps travelling

For Lawson, the Canadian outlook is decidedly upbeat.

“2025 was an excellent year, and we're still pacing ahead for 2026, so that's great news,” Lawson said. “As far as looking forward into 2027, we're trending even higher than in terms of our percentage growth in 2026. So it's looking very, very strong. Canadians are definitely interested in travelling, it hasn't slowed down.”

READ MORE: On Location: Fallcations, “city-maxxing” & analog escapes - Virtuoso maps luxury travel’s next wave

That doesn’t mean Canadians are ignoring what’s happening around them.

Geopolitical uncertainty and rising costs can change where clients ultimately go, Lawson said, but not necessarily whether they travel.

“The shift is that [travellers] want to feel that their decision is a good decision and good value, but at the same time, they don't want to take away anything that is meaningful to them,” she said.

It’s a sentiment echoed internationally.

READ MORE: On Location: Virtuoso Travel Week – Canada comes in hot, “looksmaxxing” & the AI dance

Turner said U.K. clients are taking longer to commit to bookings, even as booking values rise. Malakie, meanwhile, described a robust U.S. luxury market, including growing demand from ultra-high-net-worth travellers seeking professional help to protect increasingly significant investments in travel.

In Taiwan, Li said her business has seen growth of roughly 30 per cent, fuelled in part by the strength of the country’s technology sector and stock market.

Luxury gets personal

If there was one idea that repeatedly surfaced during the discussion, it was intentional travel.

The days when luxury simply meant bigger, flashier and more expensive are fading. Today’s clients increasingly want the parts of a trip that matter most to them.

“Clients are really wanting to make connections, the human connections, travel the world and experience different cultures,” Lawson said.

That can mean shifting destinations because of world events without sacrificing the experience itself.

It can mean prioritizing a meaningful excursion over the largest hotel suite. And it can mean spending heavily — but only where clients see value.

Turner sees some U.K. families trading suites for multiple deluxe or superior rooms as hotel rates climb, or choosing a top suite at a four-star property instead of a standard room at a five-star hotel.

Ultra-high-net-worth clients are less price sensitive, Li said, while entry-level luxury travellers are increasingly willing to spend more on experiences and service rather than simply paying for a hotel name.

And even wealthy travellers, Turner noted, are getting tired of being nickel-and-dimed. And in the U.K. especially, the price of some hotel suites has become “unrealistic.”

“Even for the luxury traveller, it it has become unjustifiable,” she said.

Small ships, big momentum

One category benefiting from luxury’s evolution is cruising – particularly the rapidly expanding small-ship, yacht and ultra-luxury segment.

Lawson said some luxury clients who previously had little interest in larger cruise ships are taking another look at cruising through smaller expedition vessels.

The appeal? Less logistical stress, unpacking once and visiting multiple destinations while maintaining a high-end experience, Lawson said.

Malakie is seeing similar interest among American clients as luxury hospitality brands move yachts onto the water, like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, while Li said these brands are introducing clients who had never considered cruising to the concept of small-ship travel.

For Turner, however, the biggest selling point may be even simpler: convenience.

“Convenience is king. Once you have convenience, you don't want to go back. And floating in hotels is probably the most convenient way to see a lot of cities in one trip,” she said.

She added that, in the U.K., clients are less brand dependent and more focused on where they actually want to go.

Japan is hot for Canadians

So, where are Canadians going? Japan continues to stand out, said Lawson.

“Some people going back for a second time just to see different areas,” she said.

Europe isn’t disappearing from the wish list either, although travellers may be exploring different regions of perennial favourites such as Italy. 

Portugal is also performing strongly.

Climate is becoming another consideration.

With extreme summer heat affecting parts of southern Europe, advisors are seeing growing interest in Northern Europe and cooler destinations. Lawson also pointed to strong domestic travel, with Canadians exploring their own country.

“We do see a lot of Canadians travelling within Canada and discovering the incredible country that we have. But of course, we also see a shift in people travelling to Norway and different areas like that,” she said.

Turner is seeing U.K. travellers rethink the traditional European summer vacation by going farther afield, including destinations such as Thailand and Australia.

Book now & have a Plan B

With demand strong and uncertainty still part of the travel landscape, Lawson’s advice to Canadian clients is straightforward.

“What I would say is book now, plan now,” she said. “I would also say take insurance, and suggest a backup plan,” she said.

“Canadians are going to travel. It's just they’re not sure where, based on availability, and based on what's happening in the world.”

Flexibility is becoming part of luxury itself.

Rather than fixating on a particular destination, Turner suggested travellers think about how they want a vacation to feel and what they want to do, then allow an advisor to match those goals with the right destination.

AI itineraries? Advisors aren’t convinced

One trend Lawson would happily see disappear is clients treating an AI-generated itinerary as equivalent to professional travel advice.

“The trend I would like to see go away is the clients that believe that an AI-generated itinerary is truly a professional advisor's recommendation,” she said.

Lawson sees plenty of potential for AI behind the scenes, including helping with organization and back-office work, but draws a firm line when it comes to relying on the technology to build a trip.

“When clients come to you with an itinerary they found themselves, it needs to be changed,” she said.

Social media received similarly mixed reviews.

Lawson warned that glossy online content can inflate expectations or promote experiences that don’t even exist, while Malakie cautioned against building an entire vacation around whatever happens to appear on TikTok or Instagram.

For Malakie, the antidote to algorithm-driven travel is a return to the theme that dominated the panel: intention.

“I think a lot of areas experiencing overtourism are feeling that, and we would love to see that go away. We would love to instead see more intentional, slowed-down travel where it's about spending time with the ones you love,” she said.

“Those are the trips that will be memorable for years to come, rather than the picture you got from your Instagram or something you saw on TikTok.”

Stay tuned for more on-the-ground coverage from Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.

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