p6 jan9 7/1/09 20:38 Page 6
news
ttglive.com
Travel companies push protection and discounts in January promotions to stimulate sluggish market
PROTECTION. HIGH STREET.
Promotions focus on
Agents bank on
cold-snap fillip
‘safe booking’ message
RETAILERS are gearing up for what could be one
of the busiest weekends of the year amid reports
that bookings for summer 2009 were up to 25%
down between Christmas and New Year.
Rupert Murray.
a more water-tight protection than any other. Travel agents are preparing to hit the market
FINANCIAL protection is the key message of this Aito chairman Derek Moore said protection this weekend with their best offers in a bid to
year’s January promotional campaigns as the had become customers’ first concern since the inject some life into the January peaks market.
industry seeks to capitalise on consumer fears XL collapse, and that booking a holiday had Most retailers and suppliers said this week it
sparked by last autumn’s collapse of XL. become a “minefield for consumers”. He prom- was still too early to say how the market had
Thomas Cook was first of the big two to push ised to continue lobbying the government along picked up since Christmas. Many are now
the message, with Tui following suit days later. with other trade groups to remove the confusion. banking on the bitterly cold weather to persuade
Aito, the TTA and Abta are all vying to prove A working group including Abta, the CAA, the people to commit to an annual holiday.
they offer the most comprehensive protection. Department for Transport, Aito, the Associaton Chris Galanty, Flight Centre managing director,
Aito launched a campaign and logo centred on of Atol Companies and some airlines is to meet said: “There really are some fantastic deals out
the issue this week, claiming its 100% financial this month, after Abta met the CAA late last year. there. Our biggest task in the next six months is
protection was the best in the industry. The move As well as pushing the financial protection to convince people they can afford to travel.”
provoked Abta and the TTA to hit back. message, Cook has revived its famous “Don’t just Galanty said December was slightly down for
Travel Counsellors is set to enter the fray book it, Thomas Cook it” slogan, First Choice is the retailer and that January was “tracking
next week with its own campaign pushing the pushing its swimming pools and Thomson is roughly with last year”.
merits of its trust system, which it claims is focusing on its staff’s ability to build holidays. Travel Counsellors managing director Steve
Byrne said he would have a better idea of how
the market is faring next week, adding that
AIRLINES.
bookings were about 8% down month on month.
Advantage commercial director Julia Lo Bue
Said said forward bookings in December were
“exceptionally slow”, down by up to 10%. But
said the cold snap could prove to be a blessing,
prompting people “to think about holidays”.
DOMESTIC.
Price cuts boost
Superbreak sales
SUPERBREAK managing director Nick Cust
Carriers sway to ad campaigns
believes low prices and improved product will
help domestic tourism through 2009.
December bookings for trips to the UK regions
AIRLINES claimed customers were responding to Ward said the ads led to big spikes in website hits. were up 20% and revenue up 15% on the same
January price promotions and said there were Monarch Airlines is starting a price promotion month the year before, party as a result of price
signs demand for summer holidays would hold up. this week. Scheduled services managing director cuts, said Cust.
Bmibaby said its website traffic leapt 70% in Liz Savage said forward bookings for travel up “Two-day London trips can be picked up for
the first week of January compared with the whole to the end of March were 30% up on last year. mid-1980s prices at the moment,” he said.
of December on the back of a 50% off promotion. Summer forward bookings were ahead by His view was backed by figures from
Commercial director Julian Carr said overall “single digit” percentages but the true picture Hoseasons and Cottages4you.co.uk.
forward bookings were slightly down on last year would not emerge until the peak booking period Both companies reported their best-ever online
but demand was strong for southern Spain started next week, she said. booking day on January 4, and Cottages4you
although people were sacrificing city breaks. Virgin Atlantic launched a high-profile ad cam- said bookings for Easter were up 30%.
Jet2.com started television advertising in paign (pictured above) to herald its 25th anniver-
prime time slots this week. Sales director Philip sary in June, recreating a 1980s scene at Gatwick. ■ Cust honoured with OBE, p9
06 09.01.2009
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