Adventure operator Explore has reported forward business for 2023 is “a couple” of percentage points up against the equivalent point in 2019 despite “obstacles” including the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Managing director Michael Edwards predicted that comparisons with 2019 – the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic – would soon end due to the strength of 2023 sales.
“We are a couple of percent up on 2023 sales from where we were in 2019,” he told a Travel Weekly webcast. “So that’s the first time that we’re truly ahead of the 2019 curve.
“We cannot wait to get rid of 2019 comparisons. This will be the last year of them.”
He reported customers were booking European trips for imminent departures, but long-haul departures were popular primarily from 2023 onwards.
“We’ve been quite lucky with our forecasting, so we haven’t had to cancel too much,” he said, adding: “We’ve been able to anticipate increased capacity for Europe, particularly certain destinations in Europe.”
He highlighted the operator’s Turkey programme and the positive impact of Morocco coming back online.
“I wouldn’t say anything out of the pandemic has been plain sailing or easy,” he explained. “But the way we look at it now at Explore, we don’t really use the Covid word anymore.
“We just say it now as an ongoing operational issue. It’s a big one, no doubt. But we’re all used to dealing with operational issues.”
Edwards, who joined the operator just over a year ago, pointed out how he believed Explore had underperformed in terms of its sales in the “last five to 10 years”.
“Explore’s a great brand, and it was doing well,” he explained. “But other operators came into the space and did a really good job of increasing the market share for small group adventure travel.
“So for me, it’s what can we do differently at Explore? How can we get customers to book with us?”