Traditionally, agents expect sales levels to be at their highest at the start of the year as customers book their holidays after days spent discussing getaways with family and friends over Christmas and New Year.
To that end, operators drive demand with a slew of enticing turn-of-year deals and offers designed to get customers booking.
However, this year many agents blamed low footfall and children returning to school later than usual for the sales dip.
According to Janaway Travel agent Jane Redmond, customers made enquiries which generally didn’t materialise into bookings because they were more interested in prices. But agents who spoke to TTG on Monday (8 January) believe the remaining weekends of this month and beyond will bring more joy.
Lisa McLaughlin, branch manager of Travel House’s shop in Aberdare, Wales, said: “I’m expecting this weekend to be much busier than last weekend. It was pretty quiet on Sunshine Saturday, with few enquiries and few people around in town.”
She added: “I think it happened because schools reopened later this year.”
Redmond added: “For us, last Saturday wasn’t a Sunshine Saturday as we only had a couple of conversions from quotes that had happened during the week, so it wasn’t new enquiries.
“I think this coming week and this coming Saturday will be busier for us. I actually don’t think January is going to be as busy as many agents anticipate.
She speculated that customers might not think travel agents would be working over the weekend.
“Maybe people think we’re not in the office on Saturdays and they just think ‘we don’t want to disturb?’,” she said.
More bookings in the coming days
Sam Humpleby, Spear Travels branch manager in Helmsley, Yorkshire, noted how last year “a lot of children” returned to school earlier than this year. “I think people are only just returning to work today and they’ll be booking more in the coming days. I think from today it will be a lot busier,” added Humpleby.
In fact, some agents conceded they were apprehensive about 2024’s high expectations on the back of, in some cases, record-breaking sales in January 2023. So far though, many are cautiously optimistic for how the year will pan out.
Dumfries and Galloway agency Annan Travel director Helen Byers saw “decent” sales across the weekend, but admitted bookings were not at the level they were in the “first few days” of January this year.
“It was still a good Saturday and we are already 96% up year-on-year for the month of January,” said Byers, adding: “If the Wednesday to Friday last week hadn’t been as good as they were I’d have been saying Saturday was great.”
Sandra Corkin, managing director of Northern Irish agency chain Oasis Travel, highlighted how booking patterns have changed "over the past five or six years”.
“September for us is as good as January,” she said, adding that the agency had moved its annual cruise show from this month to September. Corkin revealed sales across the months of January and September account for “almost 25%” of the agency’s business.
Homeworking agency Not Just Travel held its conference over the weekend which was attended by more than 400 travel consultants. Co-founder Steve Witt said: “We had twice as many consultants at this year’s conference than last year’s, and bookings were still up 22% year-on-year.
“Sunshine Saturday has never been our busiest time as our sales continue to grow upwards throughout January and into February.”
New record breaker
Barrhead Travel, on the other hand, lauded a “record-breaking” performance for Sunshine Saturday on what it called one of the busiest holiday booking days of the year.
Week-on-week bookings in the first week this January were 20% up on 2023, and said president Jacqueline Dobson, Sunshine Saturday 2024 was hailed as the new record-breaking sales day, outperforming all record days last year.
Dobson said: “People are planning well ahead and taking advantage of the January sales as well as low deposit and pay-monthly options.
“I always think the start of the year sets the tone for what to expect over the coming 12 months. Despite ongoing consumer spending pressures, it is apparent that holidays will remain a priority for most.”
The agency reported summer 2024 as its most popular booking season, with long-haul destinations such as Canada, Dubai and Barbados joining summer stalwarts Tenerife, Majorca and Turkey in the roll-call of top places booked.
Confidence in selling cruise
And Weymouth-based Hays Travel retail manager Hayley Gadd, named Manager of the Year at the Travel Industry Awards by TTG in 2023, also revealed Sunshine Saturday didn’t disappoint.
“Traditionally, we have found Sunshine Saturday to be the last Saturday of January – the first pay day of the year,” she explained. “But 6 January was our busiest official Sunshine Saturday for some time.
“Normally the first weekend of January is quite quiet but not this weekend.” She revealed that more than half – 55% – of bookings this month have been for cruise holidays. “Every single staff member is trained up on every single cruise line,” said Gadd. “Everybody is confident about selling cruise – even our apprentice. Their knowledge is brilliant.”
