Hays Travel North West has reported its busiest month ever as it marked its 21st anniversary.
The agency, which has 44 branches across Wales and the north-west of England, reported sales were up by 60% in August, versus the same month in 2019.
Last month, average holiday spend jumped by £100 per person, foreign exchange transactions were 40% up and cruise bookings accounted for a fifth of total bookings.
Owner Don Bircham (pictured) said: “August has been our biggest and busiest ever in terms of sales volume in 21 years of trading.
“A lot of that was down to late bookings with 47% of sales and I think that clearly a lot of people decided on the spur of the moment that they just had to get away.”
In addition, around 20% of bookings made last month were for winter holidays and 33% were breaks next summer.
While Spain and the Balearics were still the most popular destinations among customers, Turkey, Greece, USA, Cyprus and Portugal were all selling well.
Bircham added the top-performing staff member had earned more than £700 in bonus and commission payments in August alone.
Hays also confirmed the emergence of a new trend – the multi-generational family holiday to high-end destinations.
Bircham added: “These high-value bookings to quality destinations are often being funded by grandparents who want to share a holiday with their sons and daughters and their children.
“They’re still fit and healthy and want to spend their money on a once-in-a-lifetime experience they can enjoy together with their whole family.”
The UK’s largest agency – Hays Travel – took a 40% stake in the agency business in 2015.
Today, Bircham employs 250 staff across 44 branches and he is still keen to expand.
He added: “We are still looking for new sites and for shop managers and retail staff and we offer a comprehensive training package.”
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