Five ways luxury agents are flexing for success in 2024

Luxury agencies reported incredible market buoyancy and shared their advice for growing sales, speaking at the TTG Luxury Travel Summit. 

Virtuoso’s vice president of global public relations Misty Belles reported that sales across the luxury network so far this year are up 26% compared to the same period in 2022, noting 2023 has been “incredibly strong, and well over 2019.” She added that forward bookings for 2024 are up by 36% versus last year, and by 98% compared to 2019. 

Here are the panel’s top tips for sales success: 

1. Leaning into cruise

Belles reported that cruise has been the stand-out sector in terms of growth this year, and that future sales for 2024-25 are up by 94% compared to 2019, crediting increased product volume for helping drive the rise.

Swords Travel chief executive and founder Mark Swords said experiential cruise and particularly polar journeys has been a huge growth area for the agency, with year-on-year experiential cruise sales up by 350% in 2023.

2. A targeted approach to supplier partnerships

Swords explained that members of his team were being inundated with requests from suppliers to meet and do training - but now the team is working much more strategically to spend time only with partners and products that have the most potential. 

3. Working smarter

The panel discussed how outsourcing administration tasks can dramatically free-up agents’ time. Jason Oshiokpekhai, managing director of Global Travel Collection UK (GTC), said clients were increasingly asking agents to book products such as theatre tickets and Formula 1 experiences, and said GTC is looking to finalise a partnership with a global concierge firm to look after the requests and help create capacity for travel advisors. 

4. Using data

Private travel club Little Emperors uses data to predict trends, to prompt people and to speak to them about what they’re searching for. Founder Rebecca Masri said astute use of data can determine what people of a similar demographic to your clients are searching for. 

5. Focusing on culture 

Little Emperors has grown from a team of 17 pre-Covid to an in-house team of 61, alongside 103 independent travel consultants. It employed an external company to interview the entire team and create a culture guide, which Masri said she recommends for other fast-growing firms, saying the culture created at Little Emperors is one of the things she’s most proud of.

Having expanded from a team of one to 14, Swords said Swords Travel won’t go above 20-strong, as he wants everyone to feel supported and know the business owners are always available for a chat.