TIPTO reached Maidstone, Kent this week, and found that local consumers are booking their traditional summer break regardless of England’s World Cup progress.
Fears that the World Cup would inhibit travel sales were kicked into touch by the more than 80 independent agents who attended TIPTO’s roadshow.
Amanda King, a consultant with Travelcare in Sittingbourne, said that far from being quiet, her agency enjoyed strong business on the first Saturday of the tournament, when England met Paraguay.
“We haven’t seen any signs of the World Cup dampening demand for travel,” she said.
She admitted 2006 to date has been “up and down”, but said there had been a strong summer market for Mediterranean packages and mid-haul and long-haul bookings, spurred by an increasingly adventurous family market.
“More destinations are accessible to families now – we’ve got a lot travelling to Egypt this year and the Caribbean too. On the whole it’s still more couples travelling further afield, but the family market is developing.”
Long-haul accounts for the majority of bookings for Rochester-based RTW Travel Group, an established business travel house which has diversified into the leisure market.
Formed in 1988 and with branches in the Channel Islands and Scotland in addition to Kent, RTW’s business is primarily by phone or online.
“We’re not a ‘shop-front’ kind of agency, and the business travel background has given us a broader client base – as well as our local business we have clients in Edinburgh, Norway, all sorts of places,” said operations director Denise Cobb.
Cobb said business this year has shown an improvement on 2005, with star performers including the Maldives and South Africa.
The agency has specialised in South Africa’s garden route for several years and Cobb said this expertise has been central to RTW’s success.
Equally important to future growth, Cobb said, is support from independent operators. “We’re in the sticks. Attending a TIPTO roadshow gives us the opportunity to meet several operators at once.”
Linda Read, manager of Baldwins Travel in Maidstone, agreed. “We support the independent operators – the bigger ones give us no after-sales service whatsoever,” she said.
Baldwins Travel has been established in the town for more than 50 years, and has sister branches in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
In the past year the Maidstone branch has benefited from improvements in the town, most notably the opening of the 50-outlet Fremlin Walk shopping centre, which has drawn affluent consumers to the area and increased walk-in business.
“A lot of our business is repeat clients and they recommend us to friends. We also get business direct from multiples in Maidstone – they’re more interested in selling their own tied-in products. We handle the enquiries they can’t,” said Read.
Read agreed the business outlook is encouraging, citing significant growth in bookings for long-haul destinations.
“The World Cup hasn’t dampened things at all – some people may be delaying booking until after the tournament, but just as many booked earlier. I can see the World Cup boosting interest in Germany,” she added.
MAIDSTONE: THE LOWDOWN
- Population: 141,500
- Travel agencies: 11
- Unemployment: 2.2%
- Average annual income: £17,087
- Property: Band D council tax for 2006/07 is £1,311
- Main employers: Maidstone is the commercial capital of Kent. It’s home to more than 4,500 businesses, including international companies such as Whatman, Marley, Ace Insurance, Scarab, Royal Bank of Scotland and Karen Millen.
- Airport: Maidstone is 41 miles from Gatwick Airport and 35 miles from London City. Heathrow and Stansted Airports are both just over 60 miles away.