Speaking during the latest TTG Virtual Seminar: Can summer be saved?, chair Irene Hays said the UK’s largest independent agency had seen “really quite a comeback” over the past few weeks.
“Obviously it’s nowhere near the numbers we were booking in January and February, but nevertheless there are definitely green shoots.” She added that two weeks ago the agency took a booking for a £48,500 round-the-world cruise.
Asked if appetite for cruise was starting to return despite the negative press the sector received at the start of the Covid-19 crisis, managing director John Hays insisted interest in cruise was “strong”.
“The cruise lines generally have behaved well,” he said. “And because many of them are offering 125% off a client’s next cruise, a lot of clients have booked for 2021 and used this 125% refund credit note.”
The pair also discussed which destinations were performing well, noting an increased interest in smaller resorts that enable customers to social distance.
“It’s too early to see if there are real trends,” said John. “But we’re feeling that people are maybe going for smaller resorts where they can socially distance.”
Irene added long-haul destinations were also still proving popular, with Bali the second-best seller for Hays in April and New York number one for that month, despite being at the heart of the coronavirus crisis in the US.
The Canaries were also proving popular for later on in the year, Irene said.
The pair agreed the majority of bookings were for winter and 2021, however Irene added: “Definitely people are not thinking [this summer is] a write-off – we still have people asking the question. But the two concerns are to make sure it’s safe for them to travel and secondly if they do book, they’re going to have some financial security around that.
“There’s definitely latent demand and there is a sense that as soon as it’s safe to [travel], the floodgates will open,” she added.
