Agents report enquiries and bookings coming in despite a third lockdown and expect “the market will turn” as millions more people are vaccinated.
Graeme Brett, director of Westoe Travel in South Shields, said: “It’s bad timing for peaks, but we’re getting clients booking for May onwards and for 2022. We had three bookings for next Christmas.”
Stephanie Jepson, partner at Courtney World Travel in Tewkesbury, said customers were postponing rather than cancelling, with bookings mainly for July, August, September and for Christmas 2021. She said: “We’ve a grim few weeks coming up, but I’m positive. Once the vaccine is rolled out, the market will turn.”
Andrew Meech, partner at Liphook Travel in Hampshire, reported “an upturn in enquiries”, but said “conversion has been slow”.
Flight Centre Travel Group general manager Lucy Clifton said December had been the agency’s “most successful month since March”, with staff brought back from furlough as a result. “We anticipate a strong start to 2021, albeit not at traditional levels,” she said.
Advantage Travel Partnership leisure director Kelly Cookes said booking volumes were “not as in a normal year” but reported “clear demand” for later in 2021 with 20% of members’ bookings for June-August, 49% for September-December and 20% for January 2022 onwards. Only 11% of bookings are for departures between now and May.
Tui UK commercial director Richard Sofer described January as “crucial” when addressing a Travel Weekly Insight Report webcast launch event in December.
He said: “Many customers are in a routine and want to book holidays at the start of the year. So the vaccine news came at a great time, but customers want flexibility. We expect a peak-booking window. It remains to be seen what level that is, but I’m expecting a lot of demand.”
Barrhead Travel president Jacqueline Dobson said it was “difficult to judge” the market since Boxing Day but reported a rise in enquiries for late 2021 for destinations such as New York and Orlando and said current pricing was “brilliant”.
Speaking on the webcast, she said: “We’ll get a peaks, but maybe in March-April and a late market for summer.” Dobson said Barrhead had prepared for “a variety of scenarios”, adding: “We need to be flexible in resources and marketing . . . to pull back or to add if demand is there.”
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