Signature’s Latest Travel Data Shows What Luxury Clients Want Next

For Michelle Lardizabal, Signature’s chief marketing and sales officer, those results reflect expectations that extend well beyond a hotel room or ship. “You’ve all seen it: the transformation of luxury from product to truly an experience,” she told members during her presentation. Travelers expect personalization throughout a trip, she said, with arrangements that feel effortless.

The report describes demand for private cultural encounters, exclusive culinary experiences, and journeys timed around natural events, including wildlife migrations, cherry blossoms, and eclipses. Exceptional accommodations remain important, but clients increasingly want access and experiences that would be difficult to arrange on their own.

“Today’s traveler is seeking something far more meaningful than traditional status symbols. They value time, ease, exclusive access, and experiences tailored to their individual interests and aspirations,” Lardizabal said in the report.

That desire also supports slower journeys, with luxury rail allowing travelers to make the journey itself part of the vacation. Signature points to Rocky Mountaineer in the Canadian Rockies and Canyon Spirit in the American West as examples of products combining scenic travel with destination experiences.

Exploration travel is benefiting from similar priorities. Signature’s expedition cruise sales are up 24% year to date compared with the same period in 2025, and 2027 is already showing double-digit growth.

The audience is broadening, too. Millennials, Gen Z travelers, and multigenerational families are joining experienced adventurers who continue to travel actively later in life. Antarctica, Patagonia, and the Galápagos feature in the report as examples of destinations drawing travelers interested in wildlife, outdoor activities, and closer engagement with their surroundings.

“The biggest shift we’re observing isn’t where people are traveling, but why. People increasingly want experiences that create a lasting connection rather than simply adding another destination to a list,” Karl Kannstadter, Signature’s vice president, content strategy–exploration, said in the report.

For advisors, that widening audience increases the importance of understanding what exploration means to each client. Lardizabal emphasized firsthand product knowledge, expert-led learning, and peer exchanges as Signature continues refining its educational programs. She also highlighted a new luxury event in Boston planned for next year.

Meanwhile, booking behavior is becoming harder to describe with a single rule. Some travelers are committing just 30 to 90 days before departure; others are securing major trips earlier to obtain preferred accommodations, itineraries, and departure dates.

Signature’s average expedition cruise booking window has increased from 11.3 months before departure in 2024 to 14.4 months. Guided tours are now booked an average of 9.1 months ahead, up from 8.4 months. Select cruise itineraries already extend into 2028 and 2029.

At the same time, advisors reported strong booking activity during late spring and summer for fall departures, indicating continued interest in travel outside traditional peak periods. Together, these trends call for sustained client contact and marketing throughout the year, rather than relying on familiar seasonal sales cycles.

“Some are making decisions closer to departure, while others are securing travel years in advance to guarantee access to the experiences they want most,” Lardizabal said in the report.

River cruising offers another substantial growth opportunity. Signature’s international river cruise departures are up 14% for 2026, with 2027 pacing 17% ahead. U.S. river cruise sales are up 28% for 2026 departures and pacing 40% ahead for next year.

The report attributes the category’s expansion to new ships, destinations and brands, along with interest from younger travelers, solo travelers, active clients and families. Beyond the Rhine and Danube, it highlights American Cruise Lines’ capacity growth on U.S. waterways and AmaWaterways’ expansion onto Colombia’s Magdalena River. Water levels and itinerary adjustments remain recurring considerations, but the appeal of smaller ships, cultural experiences and access to city centers continues to support demand.

Signature is also investing in technology intended to help advisors translate those trends into recommendations. At the meeting, it unveiled SigCompass and Signature Storybook, two platforms connecting business intelligence with personalized travel planning.

Developed with DataSQRL and Toggle Travel, SigCompass brings together booking, customer relationship management, marketing, and other data to help agencies assess performance and identify opportunities. Storybook will allow advisors to curate preferred partner products into visual, client-facing recommendations tailored to travelers’ interests. Storybook is scheduled to launch with cruise products in the fourth quarter of 2026, add hotels in early 2027 and expand into insurance, excursions and land products throughout the year.

Lardizabal’s presentation stressed that the usefulness of those tools depends on the expertise behind them. “We couldn’t do it without the partnership of our preferred partners and, of course, our members. You guys are our greatest strength,” she told members. “We understand what’s happening in the marketplace, and we can make sense of it.”

For clients, the practical promise is guidance that combines knowledge of available products with an understanding of their preferences—whether they are booking an expedition more than a year ahead or deciding on a fall getaway weeks before departure.