Given January and February are usually a barometer for how the industry will perform over the coming year, TTG has spoken with several agents in the lead-up to peaks, to get their predictions about what to expect in the year ahead.
What has emerged is Brits will continue to prioritise their holidays over everything else, with some splurging on higher-end accommodations and longer trips, while others will seek to optimise their getaways with more value-for-money propositions such as all-inclusive stays.
And given its inherently inclusive nature, the cruise sector will only continue to grow, becoming a top-selling segment for many agents.
The majority of agents have also noticed increased collaboration with suppliers, with many operators releasing their peaks campaigns earlier than in previous years as well as providing more peaks training in the lead-up to Christmas.
Holidays are still a priority (even amid soaring costs)
Agents believe peaks 2024 will be busier compared to previous years, not only because Covid restrictions are no longer in place worldwide but also due to people wanting to travel at any cost.
“Customers are not worried by the economic crunch, as they come into our shop with the idea of booking a holiday,” says Lynn Jamison, manager at Oasis Travel, which was crowned Top Travel Agency – Northern Ireland at this year’s Top 50 Travel Agencies 2023 by TTG.
“Clients, especially retired ones, are choosing higher-end accommodation.”
Her words were echoed by La Vida Travel founder and director Karen Reyes as well as by Travel Counsellors managing director Kirsten Hughes, who both report an increase in long-haul travel.
“We have seen an increasing trend to long-haul destinations, not only single-centre ones, but multi-centre destinations such as Africa, south-east Asia and the US,” Hughes tells TTG.
But not all customers will splurge on their getaways this year, as many Brits will either stay for less or book all inclusive or half-board holidays.
“On the whole, customers are coming to us saying they want to go away on a more limited budget,” says Paul Johnstone, managing director at Newcastle-based agency Now Lets Travel. “What we are trying to do is offer them alternatives.”
‘From strength to strength’
Cruising will continue to grow this year, becoming the most valuable segment for many agents due to its all-inclusive nature.
World Travel Holdings managing director Alison Earnshaw says cruises offer more product and amenities compared to a land holiday, while taking customers to multiple countries.
“Plus the quality of food and service exceeds what you generally receive on a land holiday,” she adds.
River, luxury and fly cruises will perform exceptionally well next year, according to the agents TTG has spoken to. Travel Village Group commercial manager Richard Cross is expecting more fly cruises to come through over the next couple of summers, especially to destinations such as Australia and Alaska.
“Some operators have launched cruises for summer 2025, so we’re also seeing customers looking further afield when it comes to booking a cruise,” he says.
Operators have never been more helpful
Despite their busy calendar, suppliers have never been more proactive in the lead-up to peaks than this year.
Most agents TTG spoke to say operators have already launched several peaks campaigns in addition to promoting their products with online and in-person training.
Classic Collection led a webinar on peaks last week, while Virgin Voyages has released some “very good incentives” in the lead-up to January. This week (20 December), Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours, and sister brand Emerald Cruises hosted a peaks training webinar for agents. Jet2Holidays has unveiled its trade-focused peaks campaign with an agent offer of a £60 discount for customers that book through the trade, and easyJet and easyJet holidays have launched their Big Orange Sale in what they call their "biggest-ever" peaks campaign, giving agents the chance to offer hefty discounts to their customers.
“Operators seem even more proactive than years ago, as they all have bigger business development manager (BDM) teams on the road,” comments Reyes. “I think each company is trying to perform better than before.”
Cruise suppliers have been especially proactive, releasing their wave campaigns earlier and letting them run for longer.
“I think they’re a bit more on the ball now, especially cruise lines, as they’re releasing wave campaigns that are running until the end of February,” adds Katrina Price, manager at Hays Travel, Bexleyheath.
According to Price, Hays has been extremely attentive to the needs of staff, feeding them information about peaks every day.
The same can be said for Travel Counsellors, which is set to launch its peaks and cruise marketing campaigns soon.
“Our TCs will be able to share [the marketing products] with their customers,” explains Hughes. “In the lead-up to peaks, we have been doing weekly live marketing training sessions with TCs, focused on optimising their marketing and social media for the period.”
However some agents, including Jennifer Lynch, general manager at ArrangeMy Escape, lament a lack of cooperation, urging suppliers to release their campaigns and their marketing materials a little earlier.
Unrealistic budgets and travellers’ expectations
Despite the optimism surrounding peaks, agents are not blind to the challenges ahead, especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis as customers show up with unrealistic budgets and expectations.
Lynch says clients don’t expect higher costs when booking a holiday, because they only associate the surge in prices to everyday purchases such as groceries.
“I hope the message that costs have gone up will hit home and that people will pay because they don’t want to give up on a holiday,” she stresses.
Johnstone agrees, and believes clients’ budgets have become quite unrealistic compared to “how much holidays actually cost at the moment”, while other agents observe that customers might also want to book later to get a chance to spread out their life expenses more.
“We’re expecting peaks to be slightly different this year as we think the first couple of weeks will be quiet while picking up later in the month,” says Shona Thorne, director of Thorne Travel.
However, agents tell TTG they will see possible delays in booking as an opportunity to extend peaks into mid-February and promote their business.
“Peaks is the best time to communicate with clients as well as market your business as much as you can,” concludes Lynch.
