CONFERENCE Vertical Travel Group Conference in Crete. Samantha Mayling reports


Vertical reports strong sales year but softer peaks


T


he Vertical Travel Group has reported “a lot of unsold capacity in the market” among tour


operators and cruise lines. Peter Healey, group chief


executive, said: “We are seeing a lot of capacity across all tour operators, and I thought cruise lines would be better sold. There is still quite a lot to sell. We’ve seen a pattern over the past few years of peaks being less peaky.” He said bookings for the group’s


financial year to the end of April had been “really strong”, adding: “We had a tremendous and strong first three quarters. What’s gone on since has meant it’s become more difficult. April has been all right. Although sales have held up, margins are more of a challenge.” Sales for the year ended 6% up


year on year, compared with 17% up reported at last October’s conference.


Peter Healey


High-end cruise and


large family groups are doing really quite well [but] bread-and-butter stuff is a struggle


Healey said the conference aimed


to help the group’s homeworkers “keep their confidence” and not necessarily give up margins to secure a booking. “We are also having a


conversation about what is positive in the market,” Healey said. “There is a sector – experiential,


high-end cruise, large family groups – that is doing really quite well. Bread-and-butter stuff is a struggle. “I’m hopeful that bookings which


were slow to come will come now, as we get to this late-booking season.”


Some of the conference attendees He said high summer prices in


European hotels post-Covid had prompted more holidaymakers to travel in shoulder seasons, adding: “And we’re seeing people going more long-haul, moving from high-end, expensive places in Greece to places in Barbados in June and July.” The beginning of the new financial


year also saw the official merging of the legal entities of Vertical’s homeworking brands, announced at October’s conference in Spain. “We are trying to seduce the


homeworkers to come behind the Vertical Travel Group, but a lot of them have their own brands so there’s no pressure on that,” said Healey.


“We’re happy for them to do that,


but it will mean we all move to one Abta number across the group. That means much better visibility. “We are going to be talking


outwards about the Vertical Travel Group more, and less about the individual brands, and making the Vertical teams work more as a team across the group.” Systems for a new cruise division,


also announced in October, are being completed, he added, ahead of the recruitment of cruise specialists. “Cruise continues to be a big part


of what we do [but it] is still only about 18% of that. We should be nearly 30%,” he said.


Group eyes higher turnout at UK event next year


A total of 111 delegates attended the annual conference at the Anemos Luxury Grand Resort in Crete on April 27-30, including 72 agents, 24 suppliers and 15 staff from Vertical Travel Group. Agency brands at the event included Your Holiday Booking, Holiday Elite, Instant Holidays and Miss Ellies Travel. Group chief executive Peter Healey said next


year’s conference will be held in the UK “to try to get the other 100 people that we wanted to go”. The group has 220 homeworkers and aims to


reach about 250 by the end of 2025. “The conference was good. I’d rather there


were more [agents in attendance], and that is why we are going to hold the next one in the UK,” Healey added. The theme of the conference was ‘How


can we help you?’, and staff from the group, including Vertical Systems, attended to support homeworkers. “We’ve seen some really good sales coming through in the past day or so, using our suppliers and supporters,” Healey added. He also highlighted speaker Norry Ascroft,


who told delegates they can’t change events that affect the industry but can change how they respond to challenges to produce better outcomes.


10


8 MAY 2025


travelweekly.co.uk


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