The upturn follows the "Sail Away Sale" event the firm held in place of its annual cruise exhibition during the August bank holiday weekend. 

Following the event, Barrhead Travel president Jacqueline Dobson said there was a growing confidence in the cruise market as customers looked to secure both last-minute and future cruise holidays.
 
"The restart of cruise through the domestic sailings has left a lasting legacy: seasoned cruisers were thrilled to be back and were impressed with the enhanced protocols while many new-to-cruise customers have already booked another cruise on their return," she added.

"We are seeing a renewed appetite from customers when it comes to booking cruise getaways. The Med and the Caribbean are holding strong as the firm favourites but we’re also noticing that there’s a growing demand for adventure.

"We can see demand for cruise is gradually taking off again now that confidence is returning – bookings were up by over 200% compared with our last cruise event in April. While sales have not yet returned to where they need to be, confidence is beginning to return to the market and that is encouraging."
 
Dobson said that Barrhead’s cruise events were an "important part" of its cruise strategy as it helped to keep customers "informed and inspired".
 
"Our Sail Away Sale was designed to allow our customers to interact with our teams in a way that suited them," Dobson continued. "While we pivoted to online events during lockdown, feedback from our customers indicated that they would still enjoy the flexibility that our online events offered."