The homeworking division of Hays Travel has reported record bookings in the peak selling period, with February sales up 148% year on year.
News of the sales growth followed announcements that parent Hays Travel had seen record bookings in January and February, as did the Hays Travel Independence Group.
More than 140 homeworkers attended the Hays division’s annual conference in Portugal last week, which followed the Hays Travel IG conference.
More: Dame Irene Hays hails ‘exceptional performances’ of Hays IG members
Hays IG hails ‘simply incredible’ performance for cruise sales
Hays IG members encouraged to boost margins and discount less
The division is led by Tanya Cooper, head of Personal Travel Consultants (PTC), Amy Brooke, head of lead supported PTC, and Steven Reilly, head of Explorer, which is a stepping stone between the Independence Group and the traditional homeworking model.
Cooper said: “In January, we hit more than £20 million in sales. Our best year prior to this was January 2020 when we achieved £14 million.”
As well as the February sales rise, the division reported bookings growth of 143% in January year on year.
The division’s homeworker numbers have also grown by 25% year on year, with 338 PTCs, 96 lead supported PTCs and 93 agents in Explorer Travel.
Cooper said: “We have seen significant growth in our cruise market with our share of cruise doubling since this time last year.
“PTCs in particular have seen excellent growth in the cruise market, with multigenerational families enjoying travelling together.
“Explorer Travel has seen a 40% growth in long-haul, with many of their bookings coming for the US, Maldives, United Arab Emirates, Australia and Thailand.”
Cooper added: “We are also seeing an increase in twin and multi‑centre holidays, as many customers are looking to spend more and experience more after the pandemic.
“We have started seeing strong growth for summer 2024 and beyond, with people taking advantage of low deposits, free kids’ places and direct debit payments.
“And we are seeing lots of customers registering now for upcoming cruise launches.”
Homeworkers at the conference also heard about enhanced commercial agreements and the importance of customer service.
More: Dame Irene Hays hails ‘exceptional performances’ of Hays IG members
Hays IG hails ‘simply incredible’ performance for cruise sales
Hays IG members encouraged to boost margins and discount less