On a more serious note, I’m absolutely gobsmacked at how busy we’ve been. I remember getting to 19 July when England was in the final stages of lockdown, thinking summer was lost.
Furlough was going to come to an end in September and sales were slower than I was hoping for. I had already committed to an increase to our marketing spend. So was my optimism ill-founded? Throughout this nightmare, I have always tried to find some positives.
We continued to try to make sure our customers could contact us one way or another.
Our doors have been open every time a lockdown has finished – I’ve always felt it vital people can see we’re still here. By August, we were back to normal trading times and luckily, by then, sales had started to pick up. It was all hands on deck. We had to grasp the business while it was there.
We had managed to keep the team together, and I was always convinced we would get through this more quickly with them, but with that said, I never envisaged this would go on so long. By the time my team and I went to enjoy a well-deserved night at the first Yorkshire Travel Ball, we were really busy.
Speaking to other Yorkshire agents at the ball, it seemed a mixed bag. Some, like ourselves, were busy, but others were not seeing the uptake in their businesses. Luckily for us, it was the mainstream destinations that were selling in numbers – our main market.
By September, we were up and running. I had decided our marketing had to be on par with peaks – we already had a radio campaign well under way. My team were back doing what they do best – selling holidays. We had our best September in 38 years, and that was also the case with October.
My team smashed it. And, as I write this in November, it looks like we’ll do the same again. The buzz in the office has been amazing. It wasn’t all about the three Rs – restrictions, refunds and rebookings. It was just about bookings.
Planning for January peaks and the following months is well under way, and it’s full steam ahead.
I’m honestly shocked by the number of new customers who have booked holidays with us this year, and I also think agents will not have a better chance than now to capitalise on the positive messages that have been circulating in the media about booking with a human.
Although there’s a lot more work with all the requirements to travel, it plays to agents’ strengths – and this horrible situation has now become an opportunity.
It’s time to look forward, not back. I am excited by the challenge of rebuilding better and stronger than before. My new year’s resolution is to get my positive pants on. Roll on 2022.
Tony Mann is director of Idle Travel.
