Independent agents have been credited with being the driving force behind a significant upsurge in dynamically packaged holiday sales for operator Cosmos.
Sales director Andy Washington said since the start of the year independent operators had sold seven times as many dynamically packaged breaks as standard packages. This time last year dynamic packaging represented just twice as many sales as traditional holidays.
This increase comes on the back of improving package sales for the operator that have seen a 9.8% increase in the first two months of this year, compared with the same period last year.
Washington added: “Package holiday sales through the trade are having one of their best years compared with the last six years.
“But dynamic packaging is being driven by independent agents who believe it is the be all and end all of the industry, although customers still don’t know enough to ask for a dynamically packaged holiday themselves.”
Argo Holidays marketing and sales director Kathryn Beadle said she was unsurprised by the figures, which are a sign of how traditional charter companies are adapting to the changing market by unbundling the package.
She added: “Traditional package holiday sales will remain at around the 16 million a year level, but what is changing is the number of shorter breaks people are taking on impulse and it is this that has benefited Cosmos as it makes the components available.”
She said operators such as Argo that have always been more flexible in their arrangements are unlikely to see the same level of dynamic packaging growth and sales this year in this sector have remained flat.
However, she said the operator had seen an average 20% growth in booking values thanks to increased spending at the luxury end of the market.
Lowcostbeds.com commercial director Simon O’Flynn said the bed bank’s new trade website Lowcostbedsagents.com is seeing 25% week-on-week growth this year.
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