Virtuoso advisor research points to crowd avoidance, off-peak timing and farm-to-table dining as the sustainable travel choices affluent clients are making.
Sustainable travel has stopped being a question clients ask and started being a set of decisions they make without using the word. That is the clearest finding running through recent research from Virtuoso, the luxury network whose annual Luxe Report draws on more than 3,100 advisors across over 50 countries. Javier Arredondo, the network’s vice president of sustainability, has framed the shift as travellers asking smarter questions, seeking deeper connections.
Avoiding crowds is now the top sustainability behaviour
Asked which aspect of sustainability has the greatest impact on their clients’ experience, 57 per cent of American advisors named avoiding overcrowded destinations. Among Canadian advisors surveyed separately, nearly half said the same, with just over a third pointing to supporting local cultures and communities as the second consideration.
This is the quiet reframing at the centre of the data. Overtourism has moved from a destination-management problem to a consumer preference, and the two now point in the same direction. Virtuoso’s advisors report rising interest in Greenland, Iceland and Antarctica as a direct result.
Off-peak has become the default, and not just because it’s cheaper
Seventy-nine per cent of advisors say clients are more regularly choosing to travel outside peak season. The motivation matters more than the number: 60 per cent of those advisors attribute it to avoiding crowds and easing pressure on destinations, against 29 per cent who cite the value and flexibility of off-season availability. The Canadian picture is close, with 74 per cent reporting shoulder-season shifts and only about a quarter driven by lower rates.
For advisors, that is a useful correction. Selling November in Italy as a discount is selling it wrong. Selling it as the version of the trip the client actually wants is selling it right.
Farm-to-table broke into the top five
The 2026 Luxe Report put farm-to-table dining among the top five aspects of sustainable tourism for the first time, alongside avoiding over-touristed destinations, wildlife conservation, supporting local communities and booking with companies that employ locals. Virtuoso has labelled the category regenerative agritourism, and points to sustainable harvest experiences at wine estates in Portugal and lavender farms in Tasmania serving estate-grown menus alongside botanical spa treatments.
The barrier is information, not price
The most actionable finding for advisors is also the least discussed. When asked why clients hesitate to choose sustainable options, 23 per cent of advisors pointed to insufficient information. Only 10 per cent said clients saw price as the deterrent. Forty-nine per cent said the most effective way to make the case is to let clients experience sustainability firsthand rather than read about it.
Willingness to pay still trails intent. In the Canadian survey, 38 per cent reported clients willing to pay more for travel that benefits communities and 31 per cent for environmentally responsible practices – growing numbers, but behind the shifts in behaviour. The gap suggests clients will change when and where they travel more readily than what they spend.
Climate is affecting itineraries
Forty-five per cent of Virtuoso advisors globally report clients adjusting plans because of climate change, and the Canadian figure is higher at 52 per cent, an eight-point increase year over year. Of those advisors, 76 per cent cite shoulder-season and off-peak bookings, 75 per cent a preference for destinations with moderate weather and 43 per cent clients buying insurance against climate-related disruption.
The practical takeaway is narrower than the word sustainability suggests. Clients are not asking for carbon math. They are asking for a trip that does not feel crowded, in a month that works, with meals and guides that connect them to the place. Advisors who lead with that, and who have been somewhere themselves, are the ones converting it. Costa Rica, Iceland and Antarctica all rank among Virtuoso’s top five adventure destinations for 2027 – three places where these trends come to life.