Agents report summer sales rise Ian Taylor
Trading for summer 2020 appears up year on year despite the growing US-Iran crisis, with some agents reporting bookings on a par with January 2018, which was “very good”. Alistair Rowland, chief retail
officer for specialist business at The Midcounties Co-operative, reported sales up “eight percentage points on passengers and 10 percentage points on value” year on year. Rowland, who is also chairman of
Abta, said: “We were all a bit hesitant after Christmas. Thus far, it’s looking quite good and margins are holding.
There is a general feel-good factor.” Advantage Travel Partnership
leisure director Kelly Cookes described the market as “relatively buoyant”. She said: “We’re up year on year across all seasons on sale, [which is] driven more than anything by package sales for summer 2020.” Chris Bailey of Bailey’s Travel
in Wellingborough, Northants, said: “We’re probably on a par with January 2018, which was very good. Every December I fret [about January] but it has gone off as well as I could wish.” Diane Coleman of Tickets Travel
in Bexley, Kent, agreed. “It’s better than last year – there is more interest
Thus far, it’s
looking quite good and margins are holding. There is a general feel-good factor
even though Brexit is imminent,” she said. “It’s early days. We’re not manic, but we’re getting a lot of enquiries.” Simon Morgan, of Tailor Made
Travel in South Wales, said: “We’ve done £1.3 million in sales in seven days with an overall margin of 7.8% against significant online discounting, so we’re up, but I don’t think demand is quite as high [as last year].”
Alan Bowen, legal advisor to the
Association of Atol Companies, described trading as “good but not spectacular”, saying: “People are happier than they thought they would be. Airlines have a lot of decent fares and that is stimulating sales. The general view is business is good.” However, he added: “If you have a massive market to the Middle East, you must be concerned.” The peak booking season began
slowly last year, with January 2019 well down on 2018 and February and March following suit. Only strong early bookings and a decent lates market saved the summer 2019 season for many firms.
Australia tips tourism to aid post-fire revival
Amie Keeley and Juliet Dennis
Tourism Australia says the travel industry will be key to helping the country recover from bushfires, which continued to rage this week. The tourist board has ‘paused’ TV
and digital adverts in its £7.9 million campaign fronted by Kylie Minogue but is reminding the trade that vast regions of Australia are unaffected. Fires have led to the deaths of
25 people and destruction of nearly 2,000 homes, with blazes predicted
4 9 JANUARY 2020
to continue for months. New South Wales, home to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley, is the worst-hit state. As Travel Weekly went to press,
Tourism Australia was working on a tool to provide rolling updates on the fires on
Australia.com and trade portal Aussie Specialist. It was due to go live on Wednesday alongside further sales resources to help agents plan itineraries avoiding the fires. A spokesman said: “Our hearts go
out to the families and communities impacted by the bushfires. When
these communities are ready, tourism will play a vital role in supporting their recovery and Tourism Australia will provide ongoing support. “But vast regions of the country
are unaffected and continue to offer our guests the incredible tourism experiences that we have to offer.” Popular tourism spots such as
Perth and Margaret River in Western Australia, Uluru in the Northern Territory and Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, Whitsunday Islands and Cairns are all unaffected. Operators have cancelled or
A kangaroo in Flinder Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island on Tuesday
PICTURE: Shutterstock
amended itineraries in affected areas. Intrepid Travel cancelled tours
on Kangaroo Island until this Friday, with refunds and date changes offered until January 14. AAT Kings has altered itineraries
in Sydney and Kangaroo Island, while Gold Medal and Travel 2 have contacted all agents with customers in Australia to ensure they are safe. The Travel Corporation, owner of
AAT Kings and Trafalgar, has donated A$100,000 (£52,000) to fire services, while Intrepid has set up an appeal and had raised A$138,582 by Tuesday.
travelweekly.co.uk
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