Citing the continued surge in luxury travel, Kensington Tours reports that it has “shattered” pre-pandemic sales levels, posting record results for the first two months of the year. The tour operator says sales in January were 50 percent higher than the same period in January 2020, but even more notably, double what they were in January 2019.

For February, sales were also double from those in February 2020 and 85% higher than in February 2019, says the Toronto-based luxury specialist, which adds that the results also show a trend towards more personalized and customized experiences as well as the shift towards longer stays and willingness to increase spend for higher end tailor-made itineraries.

Top destinations

The destinations leading the way include Europe, where Italy, France, Greece, Spain, England, Scotland, and Ireland were in greatest demand.

And since the ban on international arrivals was lifted in October 2022, Kensington says Japan has seen significant demand, as well as other destinations that were among the last to ease travel requirements and re-open to international travellers, including Australia, and New Zealand.

Egypt, which was one of the tour operator’s picks for hot destinations in 2023, is among the destinations contributing to the strong sales performance, as well as other parts of the Middle East and Africa – namely Israel and South Africa.

Also trending, reports Kensington, is family and multi-gen travel, including its Personal Heritage Journeys, in partnership with Ancestry.com.

Kensington offers bespoke private tours and personalized, handcrafted itineraries, as well as a private villa portfolio geared towards travellers seeking “the ultimate privacy in the form of a luxury villa” paired with tailor-made itineraries. The company also recently expanded its cruise offerings with more than 15 Expedition, River, and Ocean cruise partners across, pairing excursions with customized, privately guided pre- and post-cruise experiences.