Agents report 'steady' January sales as many target payday boost

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Agents have reported “steady sales” heading into the last week of January as many target a payday boost this weekend.

However, the largely positive reports came as Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy warned of continued caution among consumers, telling Spanish trade publication Hosteltur that sales for the destination on the first Saturday of the month were “acceptable but did not reach expectations”.

He said the operator was seeing “similar” trends to last year, with clients booking late and “postponing the decision to buy in the hope of future discounts”.

Heapy’s reports of a sluggish Sunshine Saturday and slow start to the year echoed many in the trade in recent weeks, but Barrhead Travel managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell said trading had “strengthened noticeably” since January 21.

She revealed 85% of bookings since the beginning of the month were for travel this year, with the majority for between May and September.

Other agency and consortium bosses also reported strong sales amid hopes for further improvements this weekend.

John Sullivan, commercial director at Advantage Travel Partnership, said revenue for the last week was up 10% year on year, with cruise and touring “performing well”.

May and June took the “biggest share of departures” and Spain, the Balearics and the Canaries “dominated sales”, he added.

Hays Travel retail director Jane Schumm reported continued year-on-year growth with summer 2026 the most popular season but also noted late booking for imminent departures this month and an “emerging” summer 2027 market.

Share of long-haul bookings increased by 4%, with the strongest growth in bookings to the US, Caribbean and South Africa, she revealed.

Gary Gillespie, managing director at Independent Travel Experts (part of The Travel Network Group), said mid-week sales had shown “strongest momentum”, with “strong interest” across May, July and August.

He added winter sun destinations were “leading the way”, with Dubai, the Canaries and the Mediterranean “featuring prominently”, while ex-Southampton cruise sales were “consistent”.

Tricia Handley-Hughes, InteleTravel UK and Ireland managing director, said daily sales between January 12 and 27 have been the highest the agency has ever seen, leading to the agency’s “best January” with sales for the month 35% ahead of last year.

However, she noted a 60% drop in bookings to the US citing potential impact of the “political situation” on demand.

Middle East, Indian Ocean, Dubai and Maldives were some of the most popular destinations coming through, Handley-Hughes added.

Chris Richmond, Vertical Travel commercial director, said the consortium had already surpassed January 2025 sales through a mix of family sales, touring, cruise and cultural holidays,

He highlighted summer 2026 “selling well”, with an increase in margins and anticipated “a spike in bookings” going into this weekend due to payday.

Meanwhile The Travel Village Group chief executive Phil Nuttall said cruise bookings were “outperforming” land so far in peaks, with summer 2026 the dominant season.

He added business was “very steady”, observing an increase in pricing and sales volumes, but “slightly lower enquiries”.

“We are seeing a lot of people booking late for departure within the next three months,” he said. “But I think there is a good market for the next six months.”

Jake Cullum-Hollins, The Good Travel Agent chief executive, said the homeworking agency had seen “most success” in sales in peaks during the week rather than at weekends.

He said customers were booking “further in advance” than last year, with more bookings for July, August and September, as opposed to 12 to 14 weeks ahead of departure.

Cullum-Hollins expected to see “the impact of payday” throughout this week.

Other independent agencies were also upbeat, with Admiral Travel and Craig Travel director Craig Weatherill noting sales in all branches were up on “a strong year last year”, adding average spend had “gone up massively”.

Weatherill attributed this in part to selling to a “more mature market” this year, and also an in-store promotion where every booker on a Saturday received a bottle of prosecco.

Travel Den director Gilli Knight revealed the agency was on track to achieve £1 million in turnover for January, although last weekend was “the quietest” it had seen this year.

She said 35% of bookings were for departures in next 12 weeks, 35% for departure in the last 12 weeks of the year, and 30% for summer holiday packages.

Knight also hoped for “a last-minute surge” in bookings from Friday onwards after payday.

Paula Gleeson, Seaside Travel head of business and commercial, said January 24 was a strong day for its 13 shops, while January 25 saw better performance by its homeworking network.

She had also noticed more payment plans and direct debits for future bookings, plus more long-haul and 2027-28 bookings come through over the last week.

Gleeson expected “a huge increase in sales” over payday weekend and for February to match last year’s “crazy month”.

Beverley Travel co-owner Karl Douglas said the past week had been “the best of the month so far”, trading ahead of last year.

Sam Ballard, founder of luxury agency Club Voyages, also said the agency was ahead of last year, with “a real mix” of long-haul, cruise and short-haul bookings, and pricing across retail “holding well”.

Iain Kirkbright, Sunlounger Travel director, said the five-shop agency had “a stronger weekend than previous years” last weekend, and “strong daily performances” across the month.

He highlighted “an upsurge” in touring sales due to supplier days in store, and expected “a steady flow of clients as the month closes”, with a weekend boost from payday after “the long January”.

Henbury Travel reported a 16% year-on-year increase in revenue for January, attributed to improved net performance rather than higher booking volumes.

Family ‘bucket and spade’ holidays had a relatively slow start to the year, mirroring patterns seen in 2025, but the agency welcomed “a clear trend of customers returning to the high street, particularly among under-35s”.

A Jet2holidays spokesperson said: “Our chief executive recently conducted an interview with Hosteltur, a Spanish tourism magazine, during a conference in Spain.

“The interview focused on how Spain can boost tourism even further, referencing how some customers are booking later and how the industry can respond.

“It is very important to note that we remain very pleased with how customers continue to respond to our award-winning holidays and industry-leading customer service, and we are looking forward to another very successful year, including the start of operations from Gatwick in March.”