Virtuoso, the international luxury travel network of travel agents, has mined its data warehouse of more than $35 billion in transactions to reveal the top destinations for the upcoming 2016 summer travel season.
Italy takes first place in the Top 10 destinations. Pictured, the Grand Canal in Venice.
Upscale jetsetters are largely seeking perennial European favorites for summer vacations, alongside select African locales. Data was sourced from Virtuoso‘s United States and Canadian-based travel agency members and reflects future travel for June, July and August 2016.

Here’s the Top 10 list: Italy, the U.K., France, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Greece, Israel.
While Europe continues to dominate the list of favored destinations with eight of the 10 countries, the network’s sales to the continent are flat when compared to summer 2015. In particular, France, led by Paris, has rebounded nicely and remains strong. Overall, European countries offering value to travelers are seeing spikes. Bookings to the Netherlands are up 38 percent this summer over last, with Virtuoso’s partner hotels showing average daily rates 44 percent lower than the European average of $793 per night. Travelers visiting Ireland are flocking to Dublin and Galway in particular, along with county Laois in the center of the country, the data found.
Africa is hot, too, with 15 percent growth in travel to the continent over last year. Tanzania is experiencing...