An Essex travel agent is not racking summer 2010 brochures as she is focusing on late sales for this summer.
Yvonne Holmes, manager and owner of Classic Travel in Loughton, said although she has taken delivery of the brochures, they are not yet on display.
Staff are focusing on summer 2009 sales as customers are leaving it late to book holidays due to concerns about job security.
Holmes said: “What is the point of selling ahead? This does not help us with our cash flow. There is no point selling 2010 now.”
Somewhere2travel2 director Diane Denney, who is based in Ilfracombe, Devon, said even though she hasn’t racked summer 2010 brochures, she is taking bookings for next year.
She said: “The problem with 2010 preview brochures is they are never accurate [on pricing], and they are always superseded.
“We won’t order 2010 brochures; we will use this year’s and then check the price for the clients.”
However, Peter Goord Travel owner Anthony Goord, said the Plymouth-based agency has enjoyed far stronger sales since the launch of summer 2010 brochures, than following the launch of summer 2009. However, this is because many operators delayed their brochure releases this year by a couple of months.
He said: “There are people who aren’t going away this year who are looking to go away next year.”
Katherine Doyle, owner of Bawtry Travel Worldchoice, near Doncaster, said her agency was also enjoying strong sales for summer 2010. She said: “I understand where she [Holmes] is coming from, and I would love to sell a lot of lates, but you can’t force people to buy.”