IN FOCUS
BOOKING PATTERNS Peaks unpacked
The traditional ‘peaks’ playbook is evolving in the luxury travel sector. Charlotte Brook ƂPFU QWV JQY CIGPVU CPF QRGTCVQTU CTG CFCRVKPI VQ VJG UJKHV
Every new year the UK travel trade braces itself for a surge in bookings. Historically running between January and March, the peak selling season – or ‘peaks’ – sees tour operators and travel suppliers launch a range of campaigns and exclusive offers to help agents book their clients’ next trips. Naturally, the noise has always been quieter in
the luxury sector. Agents deal in higher value and lower volume, so there’s less of a frantic rush to get bookings over the line – although there’s still a clear opportunity to secure strong early-year sales. In recent years, however, the sector has seen
a shift, with agents and operators reporting a rise in unpredictable booking patterns and habits. The result is a peaks season that still plays an important role for the luxury travel trade, but one that is increasingly becoming far less decisive than it once was.
Once you start pushing into the upper echelons of price point and
room type, peaks becomes less and less relevant
Agent insight For some businesses, January remains a critical month. Homeworking agency network Designer Travel takes 22% of its entire business for the year during January, while other agencies consistently report year-on-year increases in sales. Marlborough-based agency Travel by Hannah was up 45% this January compared with 2025, while Poole-based Select World Travel hit £712,000 in revenue in the first four weeks of 2026 alone. For other agents, the traditional peak booking season is simply just another period in the calendar. “My clients don’t book in January because
a lot of them are away,” says Emma Frearson, founder of Luxury Travel By Emma. “The weather is bad in the UK, so [many of them] are in the Caribbean or the Maldives.”ª
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MARCH 2026 ASPIRE
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