More than 15% of agent bookings with operator Pure Luxury in January were worth more than £25,000 each with seven valued at between £50,000 and £100,000.
Aspen Travel in Sale, Cheshire, made a record booking with with company on January 23 for a family group to the US in April and followed that up with a second booking worth £110,000 for ten nights in the Maldives for a multi-generational group.
A third six-figure booking was made via a homeworker for a group of seven adults and four children staying at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai during October half term.
Overall sales for the dnata Travel Group B2B firm have increased 42% year-on-year with an 11% rise in booking volumes. More than 15% of bookings taken during January were for mixed-age family groups.
The average booking value was 28% up on the same period in 2022, and almost a third of bookings were for departures in the next three months.
Top destinations based on sales in January are Dubai, Maldives, Barbados and Mauritius, alongside Hawaii, Vietnam, Abu Dhabi and Cape Town.
Dnata Travel Group B2B marketing director Sarah Lancashire said: “Our team predicted that ’Travel With Your Tribe’ would be a key trend for 2023 and these bookings demonstrate how right they were.
“It’s really apparent that families, and groups of families, see this as a year to invest in experiences that will re-establish or strengthen their bonds to each other, and create memories that will last a lifetime.
“What’s also evident is that bookers are coming to travel agents with a clear desire to go big and go soon.
“Over 15% of bookings with Pure Luxury from agent partners across the UK during January have been worth over £25,000 each, with seven individual bookings worth between £50,000 to £100,000 each, and nearly a third overall are looking to travel between now and the end of March. There’s a clear trend there on which agents can capitalise.”
She added: “These are dream destinations, which after years of restrictions and uncertainty, people are committing to exploring the world again. And, alongside travelling with your tribe, they reflect other trends our campaign identified as defining 2023 travel – for holidays that offer private sanctuaries, beach hideaways, unplugged luxury or the chance to try somewhere new.
“We always expect places like the Maldives and Dubai to do well – especially given the world-class pedigree of their hotels – but newcomers, like Abu Dhabi or Hawaii, which is perhaps enjoying a moment in the sun following the success of the ‘White Lotus’ Netflix series, show that holidaymakers are ready to discover new horizons.”
Pure Luxury’s ‘Travel Trends 2023’ peaks campaign runs until February 28 with agents able to win one of 12 places on an ultra-luxury fam trip in association with Qatar Airways and One&Only Resorts.
All package bookings will also be entered into a weekly prize draw to win a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser.
Agents will also benefit from a simplified and elevated Farebank Rewards model based on gross booking value. Four new tiers added for bookings over £40,000 means agents can earn up to £1,500 per booking, according to the operator.