Travel Counsellors says its sales are fully back to 2019 levels and show no sign of slowing as clients look to spend more and book through trusted professionals.
The company reported bookings were continuing to surge in the first week of February, with January its biggest booking month since the pandemic started and second most successful month ever in its 27-year history.
The homeworking agency group enjoyed new bookings of more than £71.2m in January, beating the previous two months combined for both leisure and corporate travel. Overall spend per booking increased by 13% in January. In one week last month, its agents took as many bookings as in the whole of January 2021.
The business said 320 of its 1,400 UK Travel Counsellors enjoyed their best-ever sales month in January.
More than 20% of current bookings are for travel in the next two months with Spain, the United Arab Emirates and the US the top-sellers. Despite more complex entry requirements, Spain has been the most popular destination for travel at Easter, closely followed by the US.
Demand has been strong for long-haul destinations such as the Indian Ocean, Middle East and the Caribbean, with bookings more than 50% up on than the same time in 2019, the company said.
The group also reported a strong recovery in corporate travel sales, with nearly 90% of UK corporate bookings for immediate travel in February and March. Top-selling destinations have continued to be the UK and US.
A Travel Counsellors survey showed more than a quarter of all customers were planning to spend more on holidays this year, while 80% of respondents said they would be more likely to book their 2022 holiday through a travel advisor than online.
In total, 64% of those surveyed said the most important factor when considering their travel plans was to book with someone they trusted.
Travel Counsellors UK managing director Kirsten Hughes said: “We are now seeing a consistent recovery both in bookings and sales volumes for leisure and corporate travel.
“This is further reinforced by the growing demand from consumers for trusted travel advice and reassurance coming out of the pandemic, highlighted in the feedback from the survey.
“Additionally, customers are spending more, as many trade up their previous travel plans and look for premium end product with a premium service to match.”