Christmas can mean only one thing in the travel industry: preparation for turn-of-year. At Tui, January is still our biggest month for sales as customers look to book their summer holidays early.
We’ve already seen strong demand for summer 2013, and as there were fewer late deals this summer, we expect more people to book early next year.
Turn-of-year is a great time for agents too, as it’s when they can make the most commission; no staff take any holidays and it’s all hands to the pumps. I remember my days in a shop very well and, while now there may not be the same queues as we had in those days, it should still be pretty busy and very motivating.
All in all, 2012 has been a great year for both the country and the travel industry. Our summer of events, including the Diamond Jubilee, the Euro 2012 football tournament and the Olympics, injected some much-needed optimism into the British psyche.
While some industry commentators worried that the events might prevent people from wanting to go away, thanks to the weather in the UK anyone that could go abroad, did.
At Tui we had an outstanding year and were really excited to announce our Dreamliner routes for next summer and introduce even more of our exclusive concept hotels, such as Sensatori. We were also helped by not having to deal with any major crises such as ash or snow. As an industry, a good year was well deserved.
However, this doesn’t mean 2013 will be easy: the state of the economy means it will be another tough year. All the research suggests that consumers will compromise on a lot but they won’t give up their holidays overseas, which is good news for us.
All-inclusive holidays will continue to prove popular, as will 10 and 11-night breaks, as people make the most of their budget.
Agents will really need to up their game in 2013 and make sure they add something extra to the booking experience to prove their worth.
It’s no longer enough just to know what holidays are available online, as most customers will do their own research before they come in.
Agents will need to provide real insight into destinations and an understanding of exactly what the customer is looking for to find their perfect holiday.
We are putting a lot of resources into training and fam trips for our agents so they can really add value to the customer’s booking experience.
I still believe people are our biggest asset and make a huge difference to the booking experience if they know their stuff.
This year has proved that it’s all there for the taking, and that hard work and great service pays off.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and gets some much-needed rest before the madness kicks in.