EES removal ’lifts Greece bookings’ Juliet Dennis


Agents have attributed an uplift in sales to Greece and Turkey for this summer to suspended biometric checks and competitive prices. The reports follow increased


demand for short-haul holidays as the Iran war continues. Greece suspended biometric


border checks for UK passport holders under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) in mid-April, although further clarification of the policy has yet to be provided. Ryanair has since urged all 29


EES countries to follow Greece’s lead, a plea backed by Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said. The trade also cited sluggish


Turkey sales earlier this year, although new official figures show UK visitor numbers were up 3.4% year on year for the first three months of 2026. The Travel Network Group’s


commercial director, Katharina Peck, said: “Greece has seen a clear uplift in demand, helped by renewed customer confidence following the suspension of biometric checks for UK travellers. “Turkey also remains strongly


booked, with more competitive and stabilised pricing supporting sales.” While the consortium reported


“slightly softer” volumes over the bank holiday weekend, it described trading in the last week as “steady”. Travel By Hannah director


Hannah Porter cited a “noticeable uplift in demand over the past week”, with Greece performing “particularly


Murray Travel seals distribution deal with Hays Travel


Juliet Dennis


Murray Travel has secured a major distribution deal to sell charter flights and packages through Hays Travel and Hays Travel Independence Group. Until now, the Scottish travel


agency has sold its Lapland flights and winter-sun holidays to the Canaries only direct to customers. The company’s first travel agent


distribution deal under its tour operating brands MT Holidays and The Lapland Experience follows the expansion of its Spain packages and the range of departure points for


6 7 MAY 2026


its same-day Lapland charters. The agency, which has four


branches and is a member of Hays Travel IG, has added Tenerife for 2027 out of Inverness Airport and extended its Lapland charters to six regional airports for December 2026. Lapland charters will fly out


of Aberdeen, Derry, Inverness, Newquay, Southend and Teesside, while winter-sun flight packages will operate from Inverness for one week to Gran Canaria and for five weeks to Tenerife from March next year. Murray Travel chief executive


Scott Murray said the deal to sell through agents as a “trusted”


distribution channel for the first time was significant. Hays Travel has about 530


branches, while IG has more than 120 members, which operate as independent businesses but benefit from the group’s commercial deals. “Hays Travel has been really


supportive and you cannot underestimate the value of distribution through them,” said Murray, adding: “People still want to book through agents. It’s all about trust.” He said the group would focus


on working with agents within 50 miles of its departure airports, which he cited as key to filling the charters


Greece has seen a


clear uplift following the suspension of biometric checks for UK travellers


strongly” thanks to the removal of EES checks and Turkey sales “starting to pick up” due to the destination’s “strong value for money”. She said: “We had a super


Saturday with walk-in bookings for more than 12 customers, all heading to Greece. Clients are still prioritising affordability and guaranteed sunshine.” Seaside Travel head of business


and commercial Paula Gleeson said sales rebounded in April. She noted


an “amazing lates market” and “some fantastic pricing”, crediting staff blog posts for boosting Turkey and Cyprus sales. La Vida Travel director Karen


Marin Reyes reported a rise in Greece enquiries and added: “We’ve seen a rise in Turkey and Cyprus sales with some amazing prices by operators.” In contrast, Advantage Travel


Partnership reported softer footfall and reduced booking volumes over the last week, with Turkey “in particular impacted”. Head of business development


David Moon highlighted increased hesitation by clients and price challenges but admitted: “Bookings for Greece were, however, stronger last week, which could reflect the suspension of EES biometric checks.”


Scott Murray


following the company’s expansion. “Last year, we developed the


brands and they are completely unknown,” he said. “We’re trying to build them as brands that people trust. Had we not got Hays involved, we would struggle to fill the spaces [on the charters].” Harriet Thompson, head of Hays


Travel IG, which provided legal, contractual and operational support to Murray Travel, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Scott and his team to get his charter programme up and running, which is opening up new opportunities for customers to travel from their local airport.”


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