Luxury travelers are focused on Italy, United Kingdom, and France as their three top foreign destinations, according to luxury travel network Virtuoso. In a survey based on future bookings, Virtuoso named those three countries as the most popular destinations, followed by Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Greece, and Israel.
Gondolas at Hotel Ca Sagredo in Venice. Photo: gnuckx.
On the other hand, while European countries continue to dominate the list of favored destinations, with eight of the 10 countries, Virtuoso said its sales to the continent are flat when compared to summer 2015. France, led by Paris, has rebounded nicely and remains strong, with Paris bookings up 35% in the first quarter alone, following last November?s terrorist attacks in that city. The Brussels terrorist attacks occurred after the survey was completed. Bookings to the Netherlands are up 38% for this summer over the same time last year, as Virtuoso?s partner hotels report average daily rates (ADR) that are 44% lower than the European average of $793 per night. Ireland?s ADR is 31% lower than the European average, leading it to see a 58% jump in bookings.
In contrast, bookings to Turkey, which was a top 20 summer destination in 2015, has suffered after several terrorist bombings in the key cities of Istanbul and the capital of Ankara. First quarter bookings were down a whopping 70%, with a projected year over year decline of 65%.
Those countries that have seen the largest percentag...