The Virtuoso Effect

A conversation with luxury travel guru Matthew D. Upchurch, Chairman & CEO of Virtuoso.

Once a small family venture founded decades ago, Virtuoso has become a global powerhouse for luxury travel. Today, with a collective buying power of more than $28 billion a year, Virtuoso is the leading travel network specializing in experimental and luxury travel.

With over 20,000 affiliated travel advisors scoring exclusive perks for elite travelers, Virtuoso is not only beneficial to them, but also to the vast network of hotels, resorts, cruise lines, tour companies and premier destinations they work with—after all, properly advised customers make for happy customers.

We recently sat down with chairman and CEO, Matthew D. Upchurch to learn more.

Where did the idea to start a luxury travel company come from?

Virtuoso was born out of two companies that my family owned coming together. Virtuoso began in 1951 as Allied Travel, a research and operations center cooperatively established and owned by independent travel agencies to provide independent and group travel. In 1986, we merged Allied with Percival Tours, an upscale tour operator. Those two companies formed the basis for the Virtuoso network, bringing together independently owned but like-minded travel agencies that knew they could accomplish more together than they could on their own, and creating a preferred partner portfolio of the world’s best travel brands that they could build relationships with and book with confidence.

How has the business grown and changed over the years?

The network has grown in ways I didn’t initially imagine, namely globally. While we started in the U.S., now almost half of our 20,000plus travel advisors are located outside the country. As we expanded into different markets, what we learned is that luxury travelers across the globe may have different preferences for where and when they want to travel, and even how they travel, but the common thread is the value they place on collaborating and working with a professional advisor.

What are the biggest challenges you face in the luxury travel space today?

When you are an experiential product or service, one of the biggest challenges is that it’s hard for people to fully understand the value of it until they really experience it. There is so much that is false and glossy in the world, so it’s difficult to discern what’s real and valuable and unique about what you’re offering until they personally see it for themselves. Ultimately, those of us who are in the luxury and experiential travel industry know that we are really in the ‘how did you make me feel’ business. When there’s an authentic connection and the traveler comes away from their experience changed by how it made them feel, that is the ultimate luxury. And with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and the inherent doubt that it brings, it only raises the value of trusted relationships with actual human beings who can deliver those experiences.

What’s your favorite thing about your work? i.e. the most rewarding?

The most rewarding thing for me, and one of the things I’m proudest of, is the decades-long path of supporting genuine human connection, collaboration and how people have come together to accomplish something they might not have been able to do alone. Seeing the outcome of Virtuoso travel advisors and our partners in enhancing people’s lives through travel experiences, allowing them to make memories together with their families and friends. At the same time, also helping build a profession that has become increasingly more valuable and, as someone who loves technology, being able to apply tech to enhance the human factor rather than remove it.

It is also my belief that travel is a force for good. At Virtuoso, we believe in three pillars of sustainability: supporting local economies, celebrating cultures and protecting the planet. Having grown up in the business, helping people understand the social and economic value of travel, that it can have a positive impact on the destinations visited and the people who live within those communities, all while actually enhancing the travel experience – that is important to me.

How many countries have you visited this past year?

I’ve visited more than 100 countries in total, so I quit counting a long time ago. If I think about it, though, maybe eight in the last year. But I’m like many other people, in that I’m always thinking about the next trip, where I want to go, what I want to do and see and experience. Travel is one of those things that hits on three different levels: there’s the excitement and anticipation that comes with planning the trip, the actual experience while traveling and then the memories and storytelling afterward.

If you have to name your top 3 travel destinations, what would they be and why?

Given my position, I used to not answer this question and, the truth is, I love going to new places. Like many luxury travel clients, I maintain a creative tension between going back to favorites that I feel connected to and new places that excite me. I have a long list of additional countries that I still haven’t been to and want to visit.

My favorite places to return include Mexico, where I spent my youth, but I mean cultural Mexico, not just beach and sand. Italy is another country I return to again and again. Africa, which is another place where I spent some of my childhood, is where I truly disconnect. Antarctica is one of those places where I gained a whole new appreciation for the fact that Mother Nature is in control.

As for what I’m most excited for next, I can’t wait for my Virgin Galactic flight and the Earth overview effect.

What’s your biggest piece of advice to anyone planning a big trip this year?

With demand so high and capacity becoming limited, my best advice is to plan ahead, use a travel advisor and consider places that are not in peak season. Think of combinations and alternative destinations. When you find the right advisor, you’re going to have options you didn’t know you had. And you’re going to realize their value not only in planning and during the travel, which are more obvious, but after the trip as well.

What are some new and exciting initiatives coming to Virtuoso?

The drive to always be looking towards that next trip, and the one after that, and all the places to visit in the future, is what led us to create Virtuoso Wanderlist®, because it builds excitement as people explore countless possibilities for their next travel experience. And as the people who craft those experiences, we’re no longer sitting back and waiting for people to tell us where they want to go; we’re helping create the proactive roadmap for what they want to do in the future. Travel advisors are like financial advisors. And why would you have a conscious plan for your wealth strategy and not for your most valuable, non-renewable asset – your free leisure time?

We also launched on Earth Day a sustainability hub on our website, Virtuoso.com, with rich, original, compelling content featuring sustainable travel experiences. More and more high-net-worth travelers want to do good, and we make it easy to not only have a great experience, but also to connect with products and partners that are doing amazing things. That’s something that has become increasingly more important to our clients.

How does Virtuoso work with Acqualina?

Virtuoso has a preferred partner network with an exclusive portfolio of more than 2,300 of the world’s best travel companies, encompassing hotels and resorts, cruise lines, tour companies and premiere destinations. We are proud to count Acqualina as one of our preferred partner hotels. Anyone who has been to Acqualina knows the exceptional quality and superlative service it offers, but being part of our program means that Virtuoso clients will receive additional benefits and special recognition.

Have you been? What is striking about the property to you?

A lot of my schedule is driven by Virtuoso events, and my travels have not taken me to Acqualina … YET. I feel incredibly deprived for not having been there. Now it’s on my list to visit in the next year, so that I never have to answer this question the same way again.

Ceve

CÉVÉ specializes in contemporary gloss finish sculpture and is easily recognized for her unique style - simplicity of smooth lines and soft bronze crafted into charming characters. CÉVÉ intends for her sculptures to be both seen and felt in the viewer’s eyes. An internationally renowned artist, CÉVÉ is also a curator for many exhibitions in France and around the globe. Her works are all designed and created in France.

LEO & STEPH

Léo & Steph are a France-Brazilian duo with a true passion for Pop Art who transform everyday objects into unique and exclusive works of art. They imagined an iconic character reflecting our inner child: “Kid Cup.” This faceless, genderless character amuses itself in a colorful and cheerful world. It is resolutely optimistic and “drinks life” from the cup it hardly ever leaves behind.