Analysis

Spending growth with agents all-but flat again in June as travel jobs market slows

Agents saw year-on-year spending growth of 0.5% in June, a marginal uplift from 0.1% in May, with retail spending up by just 0.2%, while the number of candidates looking for travel jobs also fell last month

Jet2 pays out record £184.5 million in agent commission as profits soar to new heights

Airline and operator paid out an extra £17.6 million in commission to agents during the 12 months to the end of March 2025 following an uptick in ‘higher margin’ package customers

Sailing the high-end seas: why agents are perfectly placed to bring yachting to the masses

As demand for mainstream and high-end yachting product and itineraries soars, could these smaller-ship sailings not only prove an important gateway into the world of cruising but also stand alone as its own distinct proposition?

New industry data hints at sales uplift, but also consumer concerns and hesitancy

Desire to travel in 2025 remains strong among those yet to book, despite concerns about cost of living and holiday budgets

High street help, spending power and ‘dealing with Donald’: has Labour delivered for travel in its first year?

It’s been a year since Labour took power for the first time for nearly 15 years. Gary Noakes runs the rule over Keir Starmer and his team’s first 12 months in charge – and assesses how travel has fared

Payday time! The new booking trend more frequent than peaks (and just as lucrative!)

With turn-of-year peaks appearing to be ’flattening’, agency chiefs say they have identified a new emerging booking trend which is more frequent and just as lucrative

Can the river cruise sector accommodate any more new lines?

With two more big brands set to join the river cruise market, will extra competition lead to bigger profits for agents and operators – or create an overcrowding crisis?

Cutting down to scale up: could working with fewer suppliers be better for agents' businesses?

Choosing the right supplier for your clients when there are hundreds, if not thousands, at your disposal can be a challenging task; TTG spoke to four agents who have decided the time is right to start fishing in a smaller pool

Can travel embrace AI while retaining its human touch? Plus, 12 other ITT conference highlights

The war for talent, travel’s stand on DEI, and AI’s coming of age were among the key talking points at the 2025 ITT conference in Sardinia this week...

Living the dream: the growing – and lucrative – market starting to appear on the trade's radar

TTG contributor Dave Monk discovers how the growing number of residential ships offer both high-net-worth clients and cruise agents a dream scenario

When they tell you they haven't got a budget, and five other things that make agents scream internally

From impossible demands to disrespectful behaviour, what are clients doing that drives agents up the wall?

All change: how and why travel to Europe is poised for a reset

Despite recent efforts to forge closer post-Brexit ties between the UK and the EU, a new reality for British travellers awaits with biometric checks and visa waivers on the horizon

'One of the best things to have happened in cruise', and five other Clia conference takeaways

TTG’s Harry Kemble headed to Southampton this week to bring agents all the latest from the cruise sector – including a show of strength by one major player, and a worrying sustainability admission from another

Travel's 'big three' lay their cards on the table as peak summer beckons

With travel’s three largest operators now commanding nearly 50% of the Atol market, the fortunes of the few increasingly shape the environment in which the rest operate. Gary Noakes explores pre-summer trading

EasyJet holidays 'on track' to achieve £250 million profit target early

EasyJet’s in-house operator delivered £44 million profit during first half of the year, up £13 million year-on-year

9 things we took away from the 2025 Advantage Travel Partnership conference

A new look, a renewed focus on value (and values), ’getting comfortable with the uncomfortable’ and a special anniversary were among the highlights of the 2025 Advantage conference

Meet the new generation of cruisers who want your customers’ cabins

Forget stereotypes of silver-haired clients gently dozing on deck, lines are welcoming younger passengers who they hope will become the repeat bookers of the future

Tui blames late Easter for increased second-quarter loss but sticks to full-year forecast

Tui has said the late Easter meant a €32 million shift in its profits for the January to March period, but insisted its full-year profit forecast remained on track despite ’challenging’ economies in its key sales markets

Value, culture and ‘destination dupes’: Advantage reveals the trends powering travel in 2025

Advantage Travel Partnership has highlighted the late booking trend among other issues in a state-of-the-nation update issued during its annual conference in Malta taking place this week

‘The demand is there’: is the stage set for travel's biggest-ever summer?

After two major operators opened new airport bases and with Atol capacity reaching record levels, Gary Noakes explores this summer’s package travel trends

Spreading the good word: what opportunities does faith-based tourism present for agents?

It’s seen as a niche market, but religious tourism benefits from a huge client base keen to visit the world’s sacred sites. Ilaria Grasso Macola explores the opportunities for agents

Travel's gender pay gap widens owing to top-level wage disparities

New research from C&M Travel Recruitment reveals travel’s gender pay gap widened to 13.8% in 2024, largely in part to wage disparities in best-paid jobs

How travel agents can help change 'Disneyland' perception of Spain

Two of Spain’s most sought-after destinations, Palma and Barcelona, have switched to a "less is more approach" to tourism. TTG investigates why it will be beneficial for agents

Overnight stays, keeping the engagement going and no more ‘herding’: how lines are changing ship visits

Earlier this year cruise line sales chiefs raised concerns about agents dropping out from ship visits, so TTG asked brands what they were doing to reverse this worrying trend – here’s what they had to say