Does 'peaks' still truly exist?

Am I the only one who wished January would last a little longer? Over the past few weeks, it’s been fascinating to read the many articles, posts and Facebook threads analysing agent bookings throughout the month.

 

Alongside that commentary, I think there’s a growing sense of peer pressure and pressure we put on ourselves to constantly outperform.

 

While it’s brilliant when you do, it can feel like a real low point when you don’t. I want to say this clearly: don’t be disheartened or worried if January wasn’t your strongest month.

 

It isn’t a peak period for everyone. This year felt different for us. We did nothing differently from previous years – if anything, we did more.

 

We didn’t finish behind, but January was slower, quieter and harder to convert than expected.

 

Each booking was less ‘easy sale’ and more ‘round in the ring’. That wasn’t what I’d anticipated. Interestingly, December was our strongest December on record.

 

January ’hype’

 

So, I wonder: do we set too much store on the ‘January booking trend’? Indeed, does it still truly exist?

 

For as long as I’ve been in the industry, January has been treated as the peak. But I’m no longer convinced that’s how it plays out in reality. As a business, our January performance has always fluctuated There’s never really been a consistent pattern.

 

As a high street agency, we staff up, embargo holidays and gear ourselves up for impact – yet, honestly, I’ve seen busier months.

 

Economic factors are undoubtedly playing their part. How many times recently have we heard customers comment on how much holidays have increased in price?

 

Everything from a pint of milk to gas bills has gone up, yet customers struggle to accept that holidays are affected too. I believe this disconnect is likely to push us further into a late-booking market.

 

Maybe the real shift is that the way people plan and commit to travel is changing. And perhaps it’s time we stop measuring ourselves so heavily against a trend that may no longer reflect today’s reality.

 

Cancellation policies

 

This is always a hot topic for travel agents and, I have to be honest, I was frustrated last week when we lost a booking with a large escorted touring operator.

 

The difficulty of making any amendments left the customer with little choice but to cancel, which they understandably did.

 

What’s frustrating is that the operator profits 100% from the cancellation fee, while the agent who did the majority of the work earns nothing. It feels disproportionate.

 

Surely there should be a fairer split? A 50:50 arrangement would make more sense, though even that seems generous, given the circumstances.

 

When an agent invests the time, care and expertise to secure a booking, the lack of flexibility or support from the supplier is disheartening.

 

This situation highlights a wider issue in our industry: agents do the majority of the work, yet suppliers often retain all the financial benefit when cancellations occur.

 

A fairer approach that recognises the agent’s contribution and encourages collaboration would benefit agents and customers alike.

 

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My cruise was simply Celestyal