Caroline Quigley
Opera and music travel represents a niche sector targeting affluent, educated clients who plan multiple annual trips to attend performances in European venues. This form of cultural tourism includes premium experiences such as backstage tours, gala dinners, and private recitals, differentiating it from standard holiday packages. The focus for agents shifts from selling a destination to curating a specific experience, leveraging personal interaction to create bespoke itineraries for clients.
Caroline Quigley of Keith Prowse told the annual conference of the Irish Travel Agents Association in Alcobaca in Portugal that the core question for agents has changed from “where do you want to go?” to “what do you want to experience?”. She cited examples like listening to Puccini under the stars in Verona or dining on the stage of the Prague State Opera as the essence of this experiential travel. The sector benefits from repeat business, with some clients, like a family of nine, taking multiple dedicated trips.
Quigley highlighted the strength of the European market for cultural travel, noting events like the 2025 bicentenary of Johann Strauss in Vienna as major drivers of demand. Her company, the Institute for Cultural Travel, specialises in securing access to iconic venues like the Vienna State Opera and the world’s oldest working opera house in Naples. She emphasised that trade partners do not need to be opera experts but should focus on matching client interests to curated experiences.
The presentation positioned this niche as part of the broader trend towards experiential travel, where the value is derived from participation and unique access rather than simply visiting a location. Additional offerings, such as choir travel through the brand Choir Contact Ireland, were mentioned as extensions of the music themed travel concept. The speaker argued that this personal, high touch service is a key advantage for agents competing against online providers.
Quigley concluded by inviting agents to collaborate, assuring them that specialist support and knowledge for ticket acquisition and itinerary planning are readily available. The goal is to enable clients to have “fabulous holidays” centred on cultural immersion, with the agent’s role being to facilitate these meaningful, experience driven journeys.
Caroline Quigley shared; “If you close your eyes now and imagine listening to Puccini’s Aida under the stars in the Arena di Verona, that’s really the essence of opera, ballet and classical music travel.”
“For music lovers, the journey is not just about seeing the world. It’s about hearing it. And Europe is the heart of culture and music and it’s where our clients want to be.”
“The shift in how people see travel it’s no longer where you go. It’s how you experience it.”
