An immediate spike in last minute bookings has been reported by Gold Medal in the aftermath of the easing of international travel restrictions.
The government updated its traffic light lists for international travel a week ago, moving the United Arab Emirates, India, Qatar and Bahrain from the red list to amber in changes that kicked in from 4am on Sunday (August 8).
Seven European countries were added to the green list, Spain remained amber but Mexico was among a small band of nations added to the red list.
More than a third of bookings taken by dnata Travel Group-owned Gold Medal in the following 24 hours were for departures in August.
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Booking value since last week’s announcement was on average 44% higher than in July, according to company data.
The operator saw an instant rise in enquiries and bookings last Thursday morning.
The first booking taken that day was for a new year break in Dubai worth more than £25,000.
The operator pushed out deals for agents via social media and email to capture pent-up demand, particularly for late bookings.
Gold Medal also saw the average value of its bookings increase – particularly in its Pure Luxury brand – as well as an appetite for imminent travel among holidaymakers.
B2B sales director Nick Hughes said: “Our data from the last five days validates what we’ve known for a while – that consumers still want to get away this summer, and make it a holiday to remember.
“The choice of product offered by our brands, the deals we have on offer and the expertise of our teams, means we’ve been able to help our agent partners respond to the inquiries they’ve received with confidence and make some valuable sales.
“The feedback we’ve received from them over the weekend has been so great to see after the last few months.
“We aren’t out of the woods yet, but we’re pleased to have been able to celebrate some wins with our agent partners, and remain here for them as we all work to recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
More: Trade reports spike in last-minute sales since traffic light update
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