The sector’s numbers speak for themselves, says G Adventures’ UK managing director and Atas chairman Brian Young
What a start to the year it’s been. I can hardly believe it’s February already. But, with the busiest sales month since the pandemic, it’s no wonder time is flying.
I read something recently which questioned how long it might take for touring to rebound from the pandemic, which spurred me to share my view.
Of course I might be biased, working within the sector but, as the old saying goes, the numbers really do speak for themselves.
Sure, as with all sectors in the travel industry, we in the touring sector held our breath a little bit as we entered the new year due to Omicron, but we breathed a sigh of relief as sales started coming through quickly.
And boy, did they come.
Not only did January end up being the biggest sales month G Adventures has seen since Covid, but we also operated more than 300 trips in the month alone.
And, having spoken to many other businesses, I know we aren’t alone. In my eyes, there’s no disputing it, touring is back, and it’s taking travellers all over the world, right now.
For the first time, last month, the government seemed to cut travel some slack. Regulations around testing were relaxed, albeit potentially driven by ‘party-gate’, which boosted travel demand even more.
We’ve been seeing travellers champing at the bit to book and travel for months now, with strong November performance and, as January rolled in, it was clear to see that desire and confidence was high.
Travellers were ready to go and, in their eyes, the sooner the better with over 40% locking in much-awaited holidays departing before the end of April.
Peru, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands and active adventures were all top sellers, with Asia still receiving longer-lead bookings.
With the announcement last week that Australia will reopen its borders, we hope many of the Asian favorites will follow suit. That will open the floodgates of travellers waiting to book these much-loved destinations.
As destinations reopen, the operational experience of running trips during the pandemic, along with the ability to create product quickly, places the touring sector in a very strong position for future bookings.
And it’s clear that young travellers are driving the wave of quick departures, as we saw huge demand from travellers aged 18-35 who had been held back by vaccine waits and restrictions last year.
But it’s not just the young’uns getting in on the fun. Our travel styles are seeing bookings from travellers of all ages, who are looking to reconnect with the world and other travellers. They’re on the road, right now, nd it’s incredible to see.
So here’s to starting how we mean to go on, and to a bright year of touring and changing lives through travel.