Many agencies have credited payday for a positive end to January after some had reported a slow start to the month.
Jet2 boss Steve Heapy’s report of growing momentum was echoed by agencies including Travel Counsellors, which said payday was responsible for contributing to record sales of £7.8 million on the final day of January, helping it to become the company’s month successful month ever.
Claire Evans, chief operating officer of Your Co-op Travel, hailed “phenomenal” figures last week and a particularly strong weekend.
She said the timing of payday was likely to have played a role in increased willingness to spend but added: “The conclusion of key promotional campaigns also created a heightened sense of urgency, driving increased bookings.
“Notably, we saw a significant volume of high-value bookings – the highest so far this peaks.”
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The impact of payday was also noted by Caroline Thorne, head of travel at East of England Co-op Travel, who said: “We had a peak from Thursday which continued over the weekend. We are ahead of last year for passengers and sales volumes, so we are very pleased with how January has performed.”
La Vida Travel owner Karen Marin Reyes reported her agency’s shops in Cardiff and Newport had seen a payday-related lift in the final week of the month, as she voiced hopes for a further boost from a cut in interest rates that was being widely tipped as Travel Weekly went to press.
The Travel Network Group also pointed to the joint impact of payday and sales campaigns on last week’s performance, with revenue 22% higher than the same week last year and passenger numbers up 12%.
However, week-on-week figures showed a 1% dip in revenue and a 4% drop in passenger numbers.
Kelly Cookes, chief commercial officer at The Advantage Travel Partnership, said the payday boost “wasn’t as strong as we have seen in previous years” across the group, but noted a 5% year-on-year increase in bookings and a 10% increase in revenue last week. She added strong sales on Sunday and Monday suggested the payday impact could continue to be felt this week.
InteleTravel reported strong year-on-year sales last week but managing director Tricia Handley-Hughes also noted a dip in average selling value against prior year with “people looking for the best deal”.
Kenneth Macleod Travel director Juliet Gardner said the agency’s shop in Giffnock, Glasgow, had seen “buoyant sales” last month, while Scott Parker, managing director of Feherty Travel, said the Northern Irish agency’s January sales were 15% up on last year.
Despite the generally positive reports, Scottish agency Love to Travel said slower bookings for next winter had contributed to January being slightly down year on year.
Owner Joanne Martin also voiced concerns about operator‑driven discounts and said she was “disheartened” to see “desperate” agents offering to match online prices for low commission.