NEWS ROUND-UP
Agents tip cost-of-living crunch to hit next month
Juliet Dennis
Travel agents say the cost-of-living crisis has yet to hit sales, but warn the critical time will be when summer holiday balances are due. The trade reported another strong
sales week, but cautioned the impact of rising costs may not be noticeable until May when many balances are due to be paid in full. Households face hikes in fuel bills, food, petrol and National Insurance from this month. Jill Waite, director of Pole Travel
in Manchester, believes some families will be forced to forfeit holidays. “Sales have not been hit yet, but
families on low incomes in areas like ours will struggle,” she admitted. She predicted next month would
be a “testing time”, adding: “We’ve a lot of bookings rolled over for two years. I think some families will say they will lose their deposit when balances are due in May.” Neil Basnett, co-owner of
Stratford-upon-Avon agency Holiday
Inspirations, said: “The next few weeks could be critical for the family market once energy bills come through. It might make younger families change their agendas. Their budgets will reduce.” The Travel Network Group
reported a “mixed” sales picture nationwide, but cautioned it was “too early to know” if the cost of living was impacting sales. Average booking values had
Intrepid creates GM role for UK as market ‘growing fast’
Intrepid Travel is to create a general manager position for the UK and Ireland to support growth in the region. Chief executive James
Thornton said the UK and Ireland was one of the first markets to recover after the pandemic and added: “We are ramping up here faster as the market is growing faster.” In addition to the new general
manager, who will report to Zina Bencheikh, managing director for Europe, the Middle East and
8 7 APRIL 2022
Agents fear families could forfeit holidays
increased but clients could start to spend less, warned a spokeswoman. “It may take a month or so for
people to know what impact the increase has had on their finances,” she said. “We may see an impact in what some customers can afford.” Advantage Travel Partnership
said members’ sales continued to be strong week on week and versus 2019. “We’re not seeing volumes dip or an influx of cancellations,” said leisure director Kelly Cookes. Miles Morgan Travel chairman
Miles Morgan stressed his company’s older, more affluent customer base in the southwest and south Wales was was less affected by increased costs. He said: “Our weekly sales review was upbeat. I don’t think we’ll see any impact until winter.” Suzanne Cumpston, sales and
commercial manager at Sam Smith Travel in Cowbridge, Wales, agreed: “At the moment business is buoyant. We’re in an affluent area and very much enjoying the boom.”
Top speakers set for Future of Travel Spring Forum 2022
The chairman of Abta, the bosses of the UK’s two largest agency consortia and the UK regional manager of OTA giant
Booking.com are among the speakers confirmed for the Travel Weekly Future of Travel Spring Forum. The half-day forum, held in
association with Future of Travel partner Google, will take place on Thursday, May 12, at the technology company’s offices in central London. It will feature presentations and
panel discussions on the big issues facing the industry as it emerges from the pandemic, including current trading and the outlook for the year ahead, financial and regulatory pressures on businesses, sustainability and a focus on the future of retail. Confirmed speakers include:
Africa, Intrepid has recruited a new head of marketing, Morwenna Francis, who previously held the same role at easyJet. Other recruits include human resources director Adolfo Penzato, who has joined from Sandals, while a finance director for the EMEA region is also being sought. Thornton said the Australian-headquartered
adventure operator is targeting group revenue of AUD$1 billion [£580 million] by 2027-28, and he expects the UK and Ireland to contribute 30% of that figure. He said: “Trading was slow
James Thornton
for the first two weeks of the year, but since January 10, things have been growing. “March business was actually
higher than March 2019. That’s a very positive sign.”
travelweekly.co.uk
Alistair Rowland, Abta chairman and chief executive, Blue Bay Travel; Gary Lewis, chief executive, The Travel Network Group; Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive, The Advantage Travel Partnership; Claire Ross, product director, Kuoni; Ryan Pearson, regional manager,
Booking.com; Chris Photi, head of travel and leisure, White Hart Associates; and Prue Stone, group head of sustainability, Hotelplan UK. Attendance at the Future of
Travel Spring Forum is by invitation only. However, some spaces may become available. To register your interest in attending, visit
travelweekly.co.uk/springforum22.
PICTURE: Shutterstock/goodluz
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