Speaking to TTG, Commercial Director John Sullivan said: "Lates isn't a new phenomenon, it's been part of our members' booking cycle for many years and our members prepare and plan for selling lates, in the same way as they do for selling earlies."

Sullivan's comments come after Advantage this week released data highlighting a trend towards shorter holidays booked later, with 35% of Advantage members' bookings currently coming 15 to 30 days prior to departure. Bookings made just a week out – or less – are also up by 20% year-on-year.

Overall, 45% of bookings are being made within 12 weeks of travel, which Sullivan said was "totally in line with what happened last year", although he admitted the trend had been "amplified" by the situation in the Middle East.

"Our members are highly conditioned to the different peaks and troughs in demand," he said. "As a sector, we're so used to dealing with geopolitical events that impact booking patterns, and highly adept at being agile in reacting to the ebb and flow of consumer demand, which is impacted by external influences."

He added the rise in late bookings did not mean early business had disappeared. "We're also seeing strong early sales, sometimes a few years ahead, where the product is available, particularly for bucket-list travel, touring, groups including multi-gen and cruise," he explained.

'We look forward, not back'

Sullivan also pointed to the post-summer period as a key booking window for agents to capitalise upon. "We're in the middle of the next peak," he said. "Everybody's back from holiday, they're a bit depressed, and they want to book and have something to be excited about."

Asked whether the industry should expect more business to be booked on an ad-hoc basis, Sullivan said the sector needed to be adaptable and not seek to keep attempting to predict where the market is going.

"Our sector continues to evolve in line with traveller behaviour," he said. "Rather than looking back, we look forward to ensuring we're best positioned to enable our members to present the best options to their customers."

Advantage also reported a 9% year-to-date increase in revenue for its members, supported by a 9% increase in average booking value. Cruise also continues to be one of the strongest performing sectors for the consortium, with cruise spending through Advantage agents up by 14%.