January may not turn out to be peaks, business could continue to grow, says Hays Travel branch manager Colin Burns
So, how has peaks been for everyone? I have to say mine didn’t get off to a great start as Corona paid a visit to the Burns house – and unfortunately it wasn’t in bottles.
To be honest, the first week of January was a bit of a let-down and the shop wasn’t as busy as I would have wanted or expected.
Many people we spoke to were still wary of travel restrictions and uncertainty even though the signs were good for the summer and beyond. It seemed that, even though there was good news on the horizon, there was an ‘every silver lining has a cloud’ attitude and some were still asking about the ‘what ifs’.
We are seeing a real variety of enquiries and bookings, mainly for summer 2022
Things improved towards the end of week two, which my team insisted had nothing to do with the fact I was back, just about growing confidence. Then the last two weeks improved further, with sales getting very close to pre-Covid levels.
We are seeing a real variety of enquiries and bookings, mainly for summer 2022. Obviously, the announcement ending the need to test on return has been a big factor.
Our regulars are visiting again and some are helping us restock our prosecco and biscuits, so things are starting to have a nice, normal feel.
Social convert
That said, over the past two years, some customers have got used to the idea of using social media to source their holidays.
Much to the annoyance of my line managers, I’m a bit old school on this score and, while I could see some benefits, I have always thought the likes of Facebook should be for contacting long-lost friends and keeping up with local gossip. Surely, if a customer wants a holiday, they should come and see me? But even I admit now that social channels generate new customers and, like it or not, are here to stay.
These peaks we have had great success with long-haul multi-centres and some of the Benidorms are doing Bali and the Marmarises are doing the Maldives
And it’s not just new customers. Social media is generating new markets too. In all the years I’ve worked in Gateshead, it has been very much a bucket-and-spade, Benidorm and Marmaris type of place. But these peaks we have had great success with long-haul multi-centres and some of the Benidorms are doing Bali and the Marmarises are doing the Maldives – often thanks to posts on our social media pages. So I’m coming round to it.
Limited options
But did I mention every silver lining has a cloud? Well, there are a few enquiries coming in from people who are not vaccinated, and they can be quite shocked to find out just how limited their travel options are.
In most cases they just don’t believe how difficult, if not impossible, travel will be for them. They are dreaming of beaches but leave resigned to their back garden.
January may indeed turn out not to have been ‘peaks’ this year – business could continue to grow into the spring
We try to help by suggesting they book with a company that has flexible conditions so they have something to look forward to. Then, if the rules don’t change, they can amend to later dates until either the rules change or they decide to be vaccinated, or claim a refund.
So at the end of another January, we look forward with optimism. You never know, January may indeed turn out not to have been ‘peaks’ this year – business could continue to grow into the spring. And hopefully the only Corona visiting my house from now on comes in bottles.
Agent, manager… peacekeeper
Janelle had an irate customer come into the shop recently, saying she was really dissatisfied with the way her complaint had been handled by her holiday company (thankfully not booked by us). She wanted to know if we had the phone number for the “army bus man”. Now I appreciate how angry she was, but surely taking military action against the company was a bit extreme!
Turns out she meant the ombudsman, and we happily gave her the website address for Abta customer services, where she could get independent advice. Of course, having averted an international military incident, we also recommended she comes to book with us next time.