Comment: Take solace from ghosts of Christmas past

It would be easy for agents and operators alike to feel a touch downbeat heading towards a festive period set to be blighted by strikes and with numerous other challenges on the horizon.

Yet despite this understandable sense of frustration and caution, it is worth taking solace from the ghosts of Christmas past.

Looking back at my final editor's letters of the year from recent years shows us an industry in the depths of travel lockdown in 2020 and then battling with the heavy-handed response to the Omicron variant in 2021.

Even in December 2019, when coronavirus was a word barely registering for most, I wrote about the fallout from the collapses of Thomas Cook and Super Break, in addition to the ongoing uncertainty around the impact of Brexit.

If there was any doubt, these letters from the past show our industry is rarely one to benefit from nothing but tailwinds, with multiple global factors influencing its trajectory.

But as I wrote last week, it is also an industry which has always shown great resilience and is one that provides a product beloved and cherished by the vast majority of consumers.

It seems unlikely anyone in the industry will be permitted a truly restful Christmas and New Year, but all will be united in hoping disruption due to Border Force strikes starting today (Friday) is minimised and the new year peaks start strongly.

As always, you can keep abreast of the latest news on travelweekly.co.uk until we return in print on January 5.

Until then, the entire Travel Weekly team joins me in wishing you a safe and peaceful Christmas.