Peaks sales 'fully kick in' for large travel agency chains

Peaks sales “fully kicked in” over the weekend for large agency chains despite severe weather resulting in mixed trading for independents nationwide.

 

High street shops across swathes of the UK reported reduced footfall due to heavy snow and strong winds last week, but many reported a post‑storm bookings bounce.

 

Hays Travel said Sunshine Saturday (January 10) was the busiest trading day in its history, with retail director Jane Schumm citing “double-digit year-on-year growth” following the agency’s “biggest zero deposit campaign ever”.

 

She said: “We’ve seen sales across our product mix, with more high-value bookings than previous years.

 

“Popular long-haul destinations include Australia,  South Africa, UAE, Thailand, Florida, and US multi-centre stays. Cruise for 2026 and 2027 has also been hugely popular, particularly for sailings to northern Europe and the Caribbean.”

 

More: Hays Travel reports Saturday was ‘busiest trading day’ in its history

 

Barrhead Travel managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell agreed: “Peaks have fully kicked in.”

 

But she added Storm Goretti had impacted footfall and caused flight cancellations.

 

She said: “Our teams responded swiftly, ensuring customer needs were met and disruptions minimised. These challenges highlight the importance of flexibility and local expertise in maintaining momentum, even when nature throws a curveball.”

 

She reported a surge in interest for destinations such as Canada, the US, and Asia.

 

Premier Travel managing director Paul Waters said trading “strengthened significantly” on Friday, Saturday and Monday. All three days outperformed the equivalent days last year after “some challenges caused by poor weather and reduced footfall” last week.

 

More: Newmarket Holidays expands trade team with four new roles

 

January is currently flat for the retailer but with milder weather forecast Waters said: “We are confident this week will return to more normal trading levels.”

 

Last week, 86% of bookings were for 2026, 12% for 2027 and 2% for 2028 while late bookings held strong, with 19% of sales within 10 weeks of departure. 

 

The agency’s busiest departure months so far are May, June and September with July and August so far only accounting for 14% of business, down from 22% the week before.

 

Althams Travel reported “excellent year-on-year increases” since January 5, with sales about 8% up on 2025 since the turn of the year.

 

Managing director Sandra McAllister noted: “We were not too badly affected by Storm Goretti. I think up North we were lucky for once.”

 

Smaller businesses unaffected by bad weather were also upbeat. Sam Smith Travel sales and commercial manager Suzanne Cumpston said: “Business is booming. 2026 is better, much better [than 2025].”

 

She said sales were notably strong for multi-centres and cruise, with Asia, the Indian Ocean and the US the most popular destinations.

 

Mixed picture for smaller independents

 

The Travel Network Group reported a more varied picture depending on location and business mix, with some members enjoying significant week-on-week sales hikes. 

 

Director of membership services Stephanie Slark said: “Some report trading slightly ahead of the same period last year, with busier activity earlier in January and certain days outperforming last year. Others feel it’s been quieter overall, with less urgency from customers to commit and more sporadic busy days rather than consistent footfall.”

 

She blamed “significant” weather disruption in the southwest, including high winds and power outages, for “temporarily” slowing trading, and snowy conditions for reducing branch footfall elsewhere.

 

But she noted: “There’s also been a small but noticeable group of customers who say the prolonged poor weather has been the final push they needed to book a holiday.”

 

Family bookings were “particularly robust” thanks to low deposits and free child place offers, she said, but members also reported growing interest in alternatives to traditional ‘bucket and spade’ holidays, such as lakes and mountains trips, active and walking holidays, safaris, ski breaks and luxury boutique stays.

 

Advantage Travel Partnership commercial director John Sullivan agreed the weather could have triggered bookings.

 

He said: “Whilst the weather can become a distraction, poor weather often gets people thinking of warmer climes, new experiences and having something to look forward to.”

 

The consortium said members’ sales were more than 10% ahead of the same time last year as sales momentum continued to build, with consumers seeking value, rather than the cheapest price.

 

Love To Travel, which was due to officially open its fifth high-street shop this week, said overall trading was now up year on year following a slow start but noted “lots of price matches”.

 

Owner Joanne Martin said: “We’ve see a good increase at the weekend on foot flow as the weather was a bit better.”

 

She reported some clients taking a bit longer to confirm bookings by waiting until pay date, for example, but said cruise and long-haul, mostly the Caribbean and Florida, were the biggest-selling destinations.

 

Protected Trust Services said sales momentum “dipped slightly” midweek and reported a “quieter Saturday” than the previous week, with late sales up to the end of April taking a 40% share of bookings.

 

Homeworkers reap benefits

 

Homeworkers in particular claimed to be reaping the benefits of more consumers working remotely during the bad weather as more clients chose to phone or email rather than venture on to the high street to book.

 

InteleTravel claimed a “bumper start” to the year, with sales 30% up and bookings 47% up since the start of the year on the same period in 2025.

 

The homeworking agency had three consecutive days where revenues were more than £1 million, and cited average booking values of single transactions among its top 20 agents as being more than £35K.

 

Top destinations included the Middle East, Florida, Caribbean and Turkey.

 

Cruise has performed well with sales up 40%, and average booking values are up by 6%, said UK & Ireland managing director Tricia Handley-Hughes.

 

“We are very encouraged by the average booking values, which have increased across all sectors,” she said.

 

Independent Travel Experts managing director Gary Gillespie said trading in the second week of January was up 76% on the first week, a “significantly stronger” sales jump than the same time last year.  

 

Overall, ITE sales are nearly 28% up year on year, and bookings up almost 9%, with average booking values up more than 17%.

 

Gillespie said: “The peaks period to date is running ahead of last year across all key indicators.

“Severe weather in early January caused a brief, short‑term dip in sales. However, the impact was limited to a single day, with trading rebounding quickly once conditions improved.”

 

He noted: “The homeworking model continues to show resilience, with no reliance on physical footfall and minimal long‑term impact from short‑term operational challenges.”

 

Personal Travel Consultants with Blue Bay Travel’s sales jumped 20% year on year for January 3-11. The homeworking firm attributed Storm Goretti and freezing temperatures for triggering a surge in holiday enquiries.