Barrhead Travel has achieved its best-ever sales day just a week after reporting its previous record, with the agency hailing an “exceptional” January.
Saturday, January 13, set a new standard for the business on a weekend when sales rose by 20% on the previous one, which included the then-record sales day of Saturday, January 6, dubbed ‘Sunshine Saturday’.
The agency has also reported that Sunday, January 14, was its best-ever Sunday for sales.
More:Barrhead Travel to be ‘taken to next level’ with retail expansion
Barrhead president Jacqueline Dobson said: “At this halfway point in the month, I think it’s safe to say that it will be an exceptional January. Customers are telling us that their holidays are non-negotiable for this year and are turning to agents to guarantee the best value-for-money.”
Family bookings were one of the strongest growth areas for Barrhead last week as people looked to secure key school holiday dates.
Interest in cruises also rose, with departures from Barbados and Southampton within the top five holidays booked.
Summer 2024 is currently the most sought-after season, but late getaways are still proving popular, Barrhead said, with nearly 20% of bookings last week for travel before the end of March.
The agency’s top destinations so far for January include Tenerife, Mallorca, Barbados, Lanzarote, with cruises from Southampton also among the customer favourites.
Dobson said: “The first full two weeks of trading have demonstrated the sheer resilience of the holiday market this year.
“We thought 2023 was the year of the holiday – but booking patterns are suggesting that there may be more frequent trips and longer holidays booked for the coming 12 months.
“Our branches and call centres have been non-stop since January 2 – even Sundays, which are traditionally quieter for retail in some locations, have been just as busy as Saturdays.”