Teletext Holidays recruits former Monarch Holidays boss amid record year to date

The OTA has made two senior appointments amid what looks set to be a record year for the company, with huge spikes in bookings for Egypt and Turkey.

However, boss Wayne Perks said the company was not resting on its laurels, warning “Brexit headwinds” were creating significant market uncertainty.

Teletext has meanwhile installed Sarah Newton as marketing director, while Francis joins Truly Travel as its new finance director.

Newton arrives from Love Holidays, while Francis was previously finance director and managing director at Monarch Holidays.

“Adding the experience and expertise of Sarah and Richard to our senior management can only be a positive as we prepare for continued growth in 2019,” said Perks, Teletext managing director.

The new appointments, Teletext says, are vital with the OTA set to deliver record bookings year-on-year, fuelled by increasing demand across new sectors of the UK outbound travel market. These include family travel, long-haul, all-inclusive and affordable luxury.

All-inclusive bookings are up 23%, with Egypt (+109%) and Turkey (+57%) among the top performances as confidence in the eastern Med continues to return.

Long-haul destinations have also performed well for Teletext; US bookings are up 55%, with New York City (+205%) and Orlando (+32%) leading the way. Mexico is up 46% and Dubai 39%.

Family bookings, meanwhile, are up 17%, with Turkey, the Canaries and Balearics proving popular family destinations.