That was the opinion of Andy Stark, managing director of the Global Travel Group, who told TTG: “Peaks has never been more important than it will be this year for any travel agent that’s out there. They need to be on their game and have their best one ever – it will be critical.

“There is doubt around that March period, when people are a bit hesitant to travel. It’s not too significant but we can see there is a gap [in demand] around that period.”

The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, and there are severe doubts that prime minister Theresa May’s deal with the EU will be approved by MPs during a vote in the House of Commons, now scheduled for December 11.

There are fears that if the deal is rejected, it could impact flights after March 29, while travel firms are also watching currency movements closely.

“It’s the uncertainty around the euro… what’s going to happen with currency value after March 29. The buying power of accommodation and airline pricing could change too,” added Stark. “There could be a price shift driven by currency.”

In a poll (see panel), the majority of TTG readers (52%) called for a second referendum on EU membership, while 24% supported May’s deal. A further 24% said it was so bad the UK would be better off leaving with no deal.