More than a quarter of respondents (27%) to TTG’s latest Travel Agent Tracker survey said their average sales price per person increased month-on-month in November compared with October. This is the highest rate of the year since February (29%) and compares with 20% in October and 18% in September.

Meanwhile, just 14% of respondents said their average sales price per person in November was up to £1,000 – a third consecutive month-on-month decrease from 30% in August. The previous lowest rate was 13% in July.

There has also been a notable increase in the number of respondents who said their average sales price per person is currently between £1,001 and £2,000, up from 43% in August, and 48% in both September and October, to 55% in November – more than half.

"Higher end remains buoyant," said one respondent. Another added: "Bucket-list trips are still going ahead." A third said: "Product availability is lacking at prices clients are prepared to pay."

"Nobody is in any rush to book," said a fourth. "And they are not listening when we tell them prices are increasing rapidly for 2023."

Read TTG’s latest Travel Agent Tracker report here

A quarter of respondents (25%) said availability and/or capacity was among the biggest issues facing their businesses in November, up 2% month-on-month but broadly comparable with October (23%), September (28%) and August (25%).

Price increases was the joint most commonly raised issue, flagged by nearly half of respondents (46%), albeit down 11% month-on-month.

It did, however, go hand-in-hand with a five percentage point increase in respondents highlighting their ability to convert enquiries as one of major issues they face (30%, up from 25% in October), although this didn’t correlate with specific Tracker data on conversions.

More than seven in 10 respondents (72%) said they converted upwards of 40% of new or ongoing enquiries in November; this compares with 63% in October and 55% in September.

Locking in value

A number of respondents chalked the caution down to the cost of living crisis. "Clients are being cautious – they want the best possible value," said one. Another added: "People just seem more reluctant to commit – that said, average sales [prices] this month have been higher as I’ve had more trip-of-a-lifetime bookings."

A third said while some clients were conscious of rising living costs, others had a "sod it" attitude and wanted to book something to look forward to.

The cost of living crisis has led to predictions of a shift towards consumers looking to control spend by going all-inclusive, although there hasn’t been a noticeable change in agents’ outlook on these bookings. 

Just under half of respondents (46%) said all-inclusive was performing well relative to their expectations, down from 48% in October and up from 40% in September.

Other sectors offering consumers the opportunity to lock in pricing appear buoyant, though, with 52% of respondents saying cruise is performing well relative to their expectations, up from 47% in September and 51% in October.

Touring has also come roaring back, with nearly a quarter of respondents saying they felt adventure touring and escorted touring (both 23%) performed well relative to their expectations in November, both highs for this year.

Just under a quarter of respondents (23%) said they took more new enquiries in November than they did in October – this is down 3% compared with October and up 1% compared with September. The average number of new enquiries taken by Tracker respondents in November was 40, level with October but down by three compared with September and down by nine compared with August.

However, there was a significant uptick in the number of respondents who said they took more new sales and bookings in November than they did in October, with the figure rising to more than a third (34%). In October, it was just 18%, and in September, 23%. The average number of new sales and bookings taken by Tracker respondents in November was 30, up from 26 in October.

Read TTG’s latest Travel Agent Tracker report here