Travel Counsellors is continuing to report surging levels of booking with sales of some long-haul destinations now double pre-pandemic figures.
Following the government’s announcement to scrap remaining Covid-19 entry requirements to the UK, the company said sales in the past four weeks were 30% up on 2019, with bookings values up 25%.
It said February had been a record month with sales reaching more than £73 million, the highest sales in a month in the company’s history and 2% higher than January.
Long-haul destinations such as the Indian Ocean, United Arab Emirates and Caribbean were witnessing growth of more than 100% compared with sales levels prior to the pandemic. Other popular destinations including the Mediterranean and the US have enjoyed double-digit sales growth on 2019.
The top destinations for leisure travel in April are Spain, the US and the Maldives. For the summer, the US, Greece and Spain continue to be the most-booked destinations.
The company said corporate travel had also enjoyed a fast recovery. Sales were 8% up week-on-week and were back at pre-pandemic levels, it said.
The easing of travel entry rules is expected to continue to boost bookings. The number of new customers booking with Travel Counsellors is up by 40% this year, which it attributes to demand for personal interaction and extra reassurance offered by the company’s travel counsellors.
Chief executive Steve Byrne said: “We witnessed our biggest ever trading days in both January and February, which is a phenomenal achievement by our Travel Counsellors and colleagues.
“As restrictions continue to loosen in the UK, we are benefitting from pent-up demand and offer a truly personalised service, which is obviously what holidaymakers and corporate travellers alike are looking for.”
More than 50% of current bookings are for travel before the end of May while 25% are for the rest of 2022 and the remaining 25% for 2023. Sales for 2023 are up 70% on where they were at the same time in 2019 for 2020.