Virtuoso Reports
Clockwise from top left: Virtuoso Travel Week attendees discuss news and trends, CEO Matthew D. Upchurch adresses the group, and the Bellagio fountains provide a backdrop.
Straight from the Source Trends, tips, and takeaways: Travel gold from the industry’s best conference. 20
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(EVENT) ROBERT STANZIONE/PHOTOGRAPHIC EXCELLENCE INTERNATIONAL, (BELLAGIO FOUNTAIN) DIRECTPHOTO.BZ/ALAMY
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N AUGUST, THE VIRTUOSO LIFE
team attended Virtuoso Travel Week, the hybrid in-person and virtual event widely known as one of the world’s best luxury travel conferences. For some, the trip involved a flight to Las Vegas, where we presented our vaccination cards and masked up for a weeklong reunion at Bellagio, Vdara, and Aria resorts. The rest of us logged on from home to video chat with travel-industry friends from around the world (extra points to Galway’s Ashford Castle for backing its virtual meetings with a live traditional Irish music performance). Regardless of whether we were in a Bellagio ballroom or our own living rooms, it was an uplifting week. After a roller coaster of a year (plus!) for travel and tourism, it’s thrilling to see travel advisors and companies looking forward with optimism. Said Virtuoso chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch: “Nothing motivates humans like having something taken away that they took for granted, and with travel, we’ve seen evidence of that.”
