The East Anglian agency chain recorded a 46% year-on-year sales spike across its 18 branches last Saturday (January 5).

A number of Premier branches, meanwhile, saw around a 50% year-on-year boost during the first full week of the year (December 31 to January 6).

Director Paul Waters said it was the company’s most successful start to the new year ever, despite expectations of a slow January due to the economic environment, and hailed the resurgence of the high street travel agent.

“All of our branches have been incredibly busy, with double the number of holiday bookings and enquiries on the first Saturday of the new year,“ he said. “This day is always generally the busiest of the year, but this year it has exceeded all expectations. It seems people still want to book early and grab a bargain, despite all the uncertainty at the moment.

“Over the last few months we’ve seen more and more people coming back to their high street travel agent, claiming that there is too much information online and they don’t always trust what they read or feel secure booking. They also want to ensure they are financially protected if their airline or travel operator goes out of business.

“We’ve seen an increase in customers booking experienced-based holidays for 2019, alongside traditional beach breaks.”

Premier Travel’s 18 branches are spread across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex.