Matthew Upchurch

Chairman and CEO
Virtuoso

2026 Phocuswright Conference speaker

Matthew Upchurch Chairman and CEO
Matthew is a travel industry visionary who has led Virtuoso since its founding in 1986. Today the network is comprised of more than 20,000 of the world’s most sought-after luxury travel advisors.

In 2019, Matthew accepted the World Tourism Award, in “recognition of Virtuoso’s commitment to sustainable tourism practices; and its mission to make sustainability a greater factor in consumer choice when traveling to increase success for those who are dedicated to travel as a force for good.”

In 2022, he received the Travel Weekly RCA Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating his distinguished career in the industry. He sits as Vice-Chair of the WTTC Membership Committee and was named to the ASTA Hall of Fame in 2004, the Cruise Lines International Association Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2019, Matthew accepted the World Tourism Award, and in 2022 he was a finalist for the PRWeek Most Purposeful Award.

Sessions

Wednesday, November 18, 2026
4:25 PM – 4:50 PM EST

Executive Panel: The New Travel Advisor - Designing the Human + AI Model

AI and automation are taking on more of the travel-planning, booking and servicing process, but that does not make human expertise less relevant. It changes where that expertise matters most. This session examines which parts of the traveler experience benefit from judgment, relationships and advocacy, how technology can make those capabilities more scalable and what the most effective hybrid models may look like as travel advice is redefined.

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