Thanksgiving Travel Soars as Luxury Demand Heats Up

Image: A luxury group toasting with champagne glasses during a celebration. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/peopleimages.com)
Image: A luxury group toasting with champagne glasses during a celebration. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/peopleimages.com)
Laurie Baratti
by Laurie Baratti
Last updated: 1:05 PM ET, Sun November 23, 2025

Luxury travelers aren’t slowing down for the holidays—at least not according to new data from Virtuoso. The global network of high-end travel advisors says Thanksgiving travel for 2025 is already shaping up to be a whopper, with bookings running 20 percent higher than last year and overall sales soaring 36 percent.

The numbers suggest that, even with economic uncertainty lingering in the background, affluent travelers are still prioritizing memorable vacations and meaningful experiences. And advisors within Virtuoso’s network don’t expect that interest to taper off anytime soon. In its newly released 2026 Virtuoso Luxe Report, nearly half of surveyed advisors anticipate even more growth next year, while 18 percent predict a significant increase in luxury travel.

Where are such jetsetters heading for Thanksgiving? This year’s hot spots include a mix of festive cities and warm-weather escapes: New York City, London, Paris, Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Palm Beach and Costa Rica all made the list. Advisors say the pattern reflects what more travelers want right now—experience-driven destinations that offer meaningful connections with the place, quality time with loved ones and the chance to unwind.


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Laurie Baratti

Laurie Baratti

Assistant Editor

Laurie Baratti is an Assistant Editor for TravelPulse. She is a San Diego-based journalist whose work has previously appeared in publications like TravelAge West, SPACE, Modern Home + Living, Montage, and Sandals Life magazines. Travel writing has long been her passion, and she is always looking for excuses to explore the world outside of her native California. Laurie is also a lifelong equestrian, a proud pet-parent, and an underground advocate of the Oxford comma.

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