An increased number of consumers are seeking out travel advisors for trip planning, according to Virtuoso.
Consumer inquiries to be connected with an advisor via Virtuoso.com doubled from June to September 2020, the consortium said, and in January inquiries were up more than 50% compared to December.
The consortium attributed the bump to pent-up demand for travel and more travel spend than usual because people delayed their 2020 vacations due to the pandemic.
Bookings by Virtuoso agents across all partner categories began to increase in the fourth quarter, Virtuoso said. There were more bookings across all categories in December than October; in some cases, the increase was as much as 40%.
And Virtuoso members are looking at the future with optimism: The consortium said a recent survey found that 80% of respondents said they were confident business will return this year. Seven percent said it already had.
According to the survey, Virtuoso said nearly half of members' daily business consists of new bookings.
The information was included in a statement from Virtuoso about its recent virtual U.S. and Canada Forum, which it said had sold out.
A major disruption to travel, like the Covid pandemic, "actually helps our profession," Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch said in the statement. "People refocus on the value of working with a travel professional, and we're seeing more customers than ever seeking out Virtuoso advisors as a result."