Luxury advisors have a sixth sense for where the market is heading. Two new reports suggest that sense is working just fine.

Luxury Travel Advisor's annual State of the Advisor survey asked advisors what they're seeing on the ground. This week, Signature Travel Network released its inaugural Signature Agency Intelligence: Travel Trend Watch, drawn from the sales of its 300-plus member agencies and 15,000 advisors ( LTA is on location this week in San Antonio, Texas, for Signature's 70th Anniversary Owners' Meeting). Put the two reports side by side and a pattern emerges: what advisors feel in their bones is showing up in the booking data.

Cruise is Still Captain

Sixty-five percent of advisors in LTA's survey named cruise the fastest-growing trend in their business, far ahead of every other category. Seventy-two percent called cruises and expeditions a top profitability opportunity.

Signature's numbers agree. Luxury cruise sales for 2026 departures are up 16% with 2027 pacing 27% ahead. Expedition cruising is even hotter, up 24% year to date.

The broader industry is riding the same wave. Signature CEO Alex Sharpe told owners during the this week's General Session that the number of cruisers grew from 34.6 million in 2024 to 37.2 million in 2025, with 42 million expected by 2028.

"Your agents will sell well over a million cruisers this year," he said.

Luxury Leaves the Lobby

As one LTA respondent put it, luxury guests aren't buying a room; they're buying one experience. Signature calls this luxury's "Experience Era": private cultural access, remote destinations, and once-in-a-lifetime natural events like eclipses and Northern Lights.

Advisors are already booking it. Exotic and emerging destinations (40%), adventure (36%), and unique nature events (26%) all ranked among the fastest-growing trends in LTA's survey. Suppliers are responding, from Silversea's new Antarctica hotel, The Cormorant at 55 South, to Explora's expansion across Patagonia. Sharpe noted that more than 100 luxury hotel projects, totaling 25,000 rooms, were in progress in the first quarter of 2026 alone.

Signature's network sent more than 2.2 million travelers on preferred experiences this year, and Michelle Lardizabal, Signature's chief marketing and sales officer, says the bar keeps rising.

"It's not a moment of surprise and delight. It's many," she said. "It all has to be frictionless and effortless. That's a requirement. That takes skill and the right tools."

Multigenerational travel was the third-biggest opportunity advisors named in LTA's survey (56%), and family was the second-fastest-growing trend (46%). Signature sees Millennials in their peak earning years bringing both kids and grandparents along. Its children's travel magazine, Ready. Set. Go!, sold out its first edition with a second ready to print in October.

River Cruising Gets a Second Act

LTA respondents flagged river cruising as a shift reshaping their business, and Signature's data backs them up. International river departures are up 14% for 2026 and pacing 17% ahead for 2027.

U.S. river cruising is up 28% this year and pacing 40% ahead for next. New ships are coming fast, with Celebrity alone planning 10 by 2031 and Explora Journeys recently announcing river cruise plans.

The Booking Calendar is Broken (in a Good Way)

Signature reports that the market is splitting in two. Some clients book just 30 to 90 days out, while others plan further ahead than ever. The average luxury cruise booking window has stretched from 9.2 to 10.9 months, and expedition cruise from 11.3 to 14.4 months.

Many LTA respondents already have major bookings on the books for 2027. But at least one advisor stopped taking last-minute trips to boost profitability. Given Signature's findings, the short-window client may be an untapped market rather than a hassle. Shoulder season is shifting, too.

"Shoulder season is becoming popular, which previously was a struggle to sell," Lardizabal said, though one LTA respondent credits price-sensitive clients rather than a newfound love of fall.

The Robots Aren't Taking Your Job

In LTA's survey, 79% of advisors use AI, but only 15% worry it could replace them. Still, 56% use free tools only, and just 28% use AI for back-office work.

Signature is aiming at that gap with two platforms unveiled in San Antonio: SigCompass, which unifies booking, CRM, and partner data, and Signature Storybook, which turns preferred-partner products into personalized client recommendations.

Where the Data Pushes Back

Signature highlights Millennials and Gen Z flocking to exploration travel, yet only 1% of LTA respondents' clients are under 35. Demographics may explain the lag. More than 117 million Americans are 50 or older, a number Sharpe said will reach 132 million by 2030.

Sustainability is another gap. Advisors ranked sustainable travel dead last among growth trends, and 31% said none of their clients would pay more for a green trip.

Growth isn't universal, either. Signature is up 9% in 2026, and pacing 18% ahead for 2027, but only 70% of its members grew this year. President Karryn Christopher told owners that's fine.

"Sometimes you have an amazing year and you can't follow it up the next," she said.

Choose Your Clients Wisely

If there's one takeaway from both reports, it's that advisors have leverage. Sharpe said 50% of travelers are more likely to use an advisor today, and 30% of advisors say half their business comes from new customers.

His advice is don't chase every sale: Pick the clients with the greatest potential, and use the rest as training ground for new advisors.

Many advisors are already there. Forty-six percent of LTA respondents have fired or declined clients, and some are turning away lower budgets entirely.

Your gut was right about the market. It may be right about your client list, too.