Midcounties’ homeworking division The Personal Travel Agents (PTAs) has enjoyed its single biggest day of trading in a decade as it reports a flying start to 2022 sales.
Overall sales for the homeworking division of The Midcounties Co-operative were 16% up for the last week of January 2022 compared with the same week in January 2019.
On January 25, the group recorded its highest trading day in ten years, with £471,000 of sales that day.
The strongest season on sale is summer 2022, which accounted for 47% of bookings during January. Sales for this winter have taken a 31% share of sales, with particularly strong demand for “super lates”. February 2022 has been the most popular month for departures this winter.
Destinations favoured for travel this month have been the Canaries and Dubai, while Iceland has taken the third slot. Mexico holidays, staycations and late ski breaks have also proved popular.
For bookings further ahead, the group said bucket-list style holidays have been selling well while Lapland adventures for December 2022 and December 2023 have been the top seller. This sales surge has been attributed to agents using social media after recent trips to Lapland to build interest in the destination among their followers and clients.
The PTAs also reported strong bookings for the US for couples, particularly for December 2022 and for the whole of winter 2022-2023 to New York.
Sheena Whittle, head of The PTAs, said: “After the relaxation of testing rules was announced in early January, it was like someone switched a tap on. The PTAs instantly saw a surge of bookings, and sales continued to grow throughout the month. This is hugely encouraging and a welcome relief after the past two years of ups and downs.
“Whilst we know there could still be more bumps in the road ahead, the recent growth in confidence and positivity for 2022 is tangible and the opportunity for our homeworkers to make significant earnings from late bookings is thoroughly deserved after what they have endured over the last two years.”
Whittle acknowledged it was “not as easy” for homeworkers to sell holidays or make bookings, particularly as some tour operator call centres were currently a “real challenge” to get through to.
She added: “We’re hoping suppliers are able to recruit and ease this pressure in the near future.”
Customer referral sales – new clients referred to a PTA by an existing customer – now account for one in five new bookings. Whittle said this showed consumers were now seeking a qualified industry professional to help them navigate travel guidelines.
“This is hugely encouraging and shows PTAs that their years of expertise are invaluable,” she said.