Hays Travel owner calls for economic certainty as booking window narrows

Hays Travel owner Irene Hays has highlighted a significant reduction in the holiday booking window amid a plea for more economic certainty.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday (Tuesday, May 12), she noted the time customers were booking prior to departing on their summer holiday this year had decreased from around seven months to four as a result of the current climate.

Outlining the shift, she said: “We have a very loyal customer base having been around for 46 years now but definitely there is a change in the booking patterns.

“People are holding on to their cash for longer. People still believe there are deals to be had this summer and indeed there are, but if they want choice, the best thing to do is book earlier.

“However, that consideration and booking window has definitely foreshortened over the last 12 months. Where previously people would book seven months in advance; that has narrowed to 16 weeks.”

She reiterated reports of a change in sentiment among the agency’s customer base, with cost of living concerns now overtaking worries about safety and the Middle East, and insisted on the need for the removal of the current level of uncertainty as soon as possible.

“Overall, all of the uncertainty is definitely affecting customer confidence,” she said, stressing: “It’s really important that we have certainty and clarity in the future and the removal of any volatility around policy shifts.”

As a business that recruits a large number of apprentices each year and operates on the high street, she also highlighted the impact on future salary levels and business rates.

She said: “It’s vitally important that in order for us to plan for long-term investments, we are sure of the costs being imposed but, most importantly, as a travel business, overall uncertainty impacts travel. 

“While we are not at the same level as some research shows, the travel industry is suffering as a result.”

But she also highlighted cruise and touring as areas of the sector that were not suffering as much as mainstream package holidays, with consumer demand shifting away from the US and the Middle East to destinations such as Canada, Japan, Australia, South Africa and Thailand.

“Cruise is up; cruise is doing very well,” she said, noting: “Touring holidays are incredibly buoyant.”

She added the agency had not seen “any obvious sign of cancellations” as a result of the recent Hantavirus outbreak.