‘The buzz is back’: Why peaks is the perfect time for travel to get back to normal
James ChappleIt’s been a long time since things were "normal" for travel, but as the phones rang off the hook on Sunshine Saturday (7 January), you could forgive a few agents for forgetting all about the horrors of the past three years.
While estimates of just how strong a start to the year it has been range wildly, with some agents telling TTG they could be weeks away yet from "peaking", there is undoubtedly confidence in the air. It’s a far cry from this time last year – remember Omicron?
In fact, TTG’s most read story on 7 January 2022 focused on a warning from then-health secretary Sajid Javid that the government’s decision to ease the hastily imposed Omicron travel curbs it introduced in December 2021 could lead to fresh lockdowns.
The light at the end of the tunnel, though, never went out, and travel is now in a very different place – looking ahead to peaks 2023 and beyond with "joy" and "anticipation" rather than worry and concern.
With the best part of three years to work out what they needed to do to be ready for the first "normal" peaks since 2020, it appears that time was well spent. So with another busy weekend ahead, TTG caught up with four agency leaders to find out what exactly it was they focused on to get their businesses in the best possible shape.
Here’s what they had to say.
‘Reputation is everything’
“It is nothing less than a joy to have the usual peaks buzz back. A few key things have aided our success this January.
“Firstly, the way our teams looked after their customers during Covid, and when travel reopened, has been outstanding. Customers don’t forget these things, and when you demonstrate you’re consistently going above and beyond, they’ll return time and time again. We’ve also had a lot of recommendations from customers we’ve supported over the last few years which has attracted new business. Reputation is everything.
“Secondly, there’s so much success driven from behind the scenes. Since 2020, we’ve changed a lot of our systems and processes to make sure that when demand returned we were more efficient than ever. Better web search, enhanced internal booking technologies and new training programmes helped us prepare for the inevitable peaks comeback.
“Lastly, and I can’t stress this enough, it’s our people who have made the difference. We’ve ramped up engagement, communications and wellbeing to help foster the best possible work environment. When you put your people first, colleague innovation and motivation will drive business success.”
Jacqueline Dobson is president of Barrhead Travel.
‘We see the momentum’
“This year's peak season campaign has been the biggest in our history. There was a sort of anticipation among members – is peaks going to be what we think? Is it going to be stable and track against last year? Or is it going to go back to pre-pandemic levels?
We went with it being bigger than it usually would be, as we know people are keen to get on holiday again. We launched a number of training initiatives for members to provide them with more information and a number of window campaigns they can use to boost business.
We also launched our first Journeys magazine last week, which has been really well received. It has all been really positive, and I can see this momentum continuing throughout the year.
All the marketing data I look at shows people do not want to give up their holidays. The information is there and they want to travel – if not more so than usual, I think.”
Kelly Cookes is the Advantage Travel Partnership's chief commercial officer.
‘Training high on the agenda’
"After a lengthy festive break, returning to work can be a challenge, so mental stimulation for our agents was as important as implementing strategy. Key messaging included asking advisors to prepare in advance to increase their sales potential and, of course, earn commissions.
"This meant reviewing their customer database to ensure communications were targeted and relevant, assessing their working conditions so they were prepared to accommodate new business, and making sure they were motivated and confident.
"Training is always high on the agenda at InteleTravel – product training updates were essential so agents could use this knowledge to build trust with customers and understand the supplier processes.
"Finally, we had to implement all this, starting with promoting our preferred partner offers and deals, and using appealing imagery to encourage engagement. Whether you're communicating face-to-face, via social media or email, if you believe in yourself and your product, you will sell."
Tricia Handley-Hughes is InteleTravel's UK director.
‘Get ahead of the game’
“As an online travel agency, for us at Holidaysplease peaks presents a fantastic opportunity for our team of home-based travel agents to be engaging with – and selling holidays to – new customers. Our website tends to go wild from Boxing Day, and the enquiries come flooding in, even though we will have most of our marketing campaigns turned right down.
"So the key, for us, to achieving a successful peaks is to get ahead of the game by creating the time needed to make the most of the new opportunities. This means engaging with existing customers in the autumn to get as many of them booked up ahead of the new year, or at least nicely along the line with them to get them booked as soon into January as possible.
"By switching up our marketing to existing customers in the traditionally quieter months of November and December, not only did we maintain good levels of sales, we put ourselves in prime position for a busy peaks where we can work on enquiries from new customers.”
Richard Dixon is a co-founder and director of Holidaysplease.
James Chapple
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