However, the data from TTG’s second Travel Agent Tracker survey of the year didn’t fully corroborate predictions of an extended peaks booking window, one that now looks destined to be a slower burn than first anticipated, owing to lingering Covid caution and international travel restrictions, not to mention Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
Less than half of the 95 respondents said they took more new enquiries (46%) and/or new sales and bookings (45%) in February than they did in January.
But while new business is down month-on-month, it continues to outstrip the number of amendments, rebookings and cancellations agents are dealing with – and by an even greater margin than it did in January.
Seven in 10 (71%) respondents to the January survey said new business exceeded negative business; this increased to 76% in February. There was also a small month-on-month increase in the number of respondents reporting higher rates of conversion, and a similar increase in the number reporting higher average sales prices.
As a result, the trade remains broadly positive, with 59% of respondents stating February was a better month than January, although this is down from 93% when agents were asked the same about January compared with December.
"We are doing more new bookings than changes and cancellations, and clients are actually eager to pay for their future holidays," said one agent. Another added: "Much better month last month. It actually felt like a proper peaks month. Needed lots of wine as it was a bit of a shock to the system."
Lates strong
Summer remains the most commonly booked season, with 83% of respondents taking new bookings for then – up from 75% in January. Spring is still the second most commonly booked window (44%), albeit down by 16 percentage points month-on-month as people continue to book closer to departure.
The season that experienced the biggest uptick in agents reporting new bookings was the autumn, with just over a third of agents (34%) telling us they’d booked clients for this period.
Trading is not without its challenges, though. More than half of respondents (56%, up from 43% in January) said the biggest issue they were facing was an increase in Covid-related admin, while exactly half said their biggest issue was – still – getting hold of suppliers.
