A travel agency which specialises in UK breaks has relocated to larger town centre premises after a boom in demand for domestic holidays.
Travel with Matthew is to open in Merthyr Tydfil town centre in Wales on October 5, in premises which are more than double the size of its previous shop in the town. The agency also has another store in Porth, Wales.
Owner Matthew Sutton, who started the business in May 2019, said that despite a challenging three months for the agency from the start of the UK lockdown, the business has seen bookings increase dramatically in recent months.
The central location and increased demand are both behind the decision to relocate the agency, said Sutton.
He said: “We started with a smaller shop at the top end of Merthyr Tydfil and business has grown over the last 12 months.
“We had three months of bad trading [during the lockdown] but the recent increased demand has meant we need much larger premises.
“A lot of people who would normally go abroad have put their money into UK holidays instead; our sales over the last three to four months have rocketed.”
The agency, which does not sell any flights, puts together its own UK holidays using local coach firms and targets a younger demographic. It also sells UK breaks through domestic tour operators such as Bourne Leisure, Shearings, Leger Holidays and Hoseasons.
Although Merthyr Tydfil is currently under a local lockdown around half the agency’s coach pick-up points are in south and mid-Wales where tours can still go ahead.
Sutton added: “We have been very flexible under the local lockdown with existing customers allowing them to change their holiday dates completely free of charge which I believe gives added assurance in challenging times.”
The agency, which has seven staff, is offering goody bags to the first 100 customers to make a booking to mark its opening on October 5. On October 10, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will be also making an appearance at the shop.
