Agent Diary: Next year is shaping up to be one of interesting change

Is anyone else feeling absolutely exhausted? What a year it’s been, a mix of highs, lows, chaos and quiet triumphs – nothing new to those of us in travel, but still somehow surprising every single time.

 

January feels like a distant memory, yet here we are again, approaching the finish line and mentally preparing to reset for 2026.

 

I try not to dwell on the negatives, because if there’s one thing we’ve all learnt, it’s that challenges never really stop coming. What matters is how we adapt, keep calm (mostly) and continue doing what we do best: solving problems creatively and keeping the customer experience intact, even when everything behind the scenes is held together with sheer willpower and caffeine.

 

The public will never fully understand what goes into a “simple” booking and that’s fine. The point is that we do. 

 

Travel partnerships

 

Looking back, 2025 brought some interesting shifts in customer behaviour. Big-ticket, bucket‑list trips were back in full force. Touring and cruise continued to strengthen. Long‑haul grew with real confidence.

 

And of course, the last‑minute panics kept us on our toes. None of this will surprise anyone reading this but it’s been comforting to know the appetite for meaningful travel hasn’t slowed down.

 

More: Agency to trial Boxing Day opening to take ‘piece of the pie’

 

This year has also reminded me how valuable our partnerships are in this industry. So, here’s a genuine ‘thank you’ to all the tour operators who support us agents day in, day out. You make a huge difference and your support underpins so many of the wins we deliver to our clients. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

 

What I’ve appreciated most this year is my team. You’ll all relate to this: the unspoken coordination, the quick-thinking, the collective humour that keeps spirits up when systems drop or airlines play musical chairs with seat maps. It’s the quiet, everyday resilience that gets us from one week to the next. Not the big wins, just the continuous, steady determination to get things sorted, no matter what.

 

Festive fun

 

One of my favourite traditions is our invite-only mulled wine and mince pie afternoon. It’s become a nice way to catch up with familiar faces and press pause before the January surge. When we first ran it, two bottles of mulled wine did the job. Now we’re into double figures.

 

We even switch off the computers, and like clockwork, that’s when people decide they must book. Typical. You’d think we’d learn. But the point of the day isn’t selling, it’s community.

 

Looking forward, 2026 feels like it might be a year of interesting change. AI isn’t just looming; it’s integrating. We’re likely to see more acquisitions after the movement we saw in 2025. 

 

Touring and cruise will continue their upward curve. And, unfortunately, price increases seem inevitable. On the brighter side, sustainable tourism appears ready for a real leap forward – not just marketing fluff, but genuine progress.

 

If 2025 proved anything, it’s that our industry remains resilient, adaptable and quietly heroic. We keep people moving, even when the pieces don’t quite align. Here’s to another year of navigating the unpredictable together.

 

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