NEWS


HEROES AND VILLAINS TAKE TO THE RIVER:


Operators and cruise lines joined Baldwins Travel staff for the annual Dragon Boat Race in Tonbridge, Kent,


Ridler, aka The Hulk, coxed the paddlers to three straight defeats! Baldwins was one of 20 local teams in the event, which it used to promote its Holiday Inspirations show later this month.


Clients ‘sick and tired’ of Brexit and booking anyway


Benjamin Coren


Customers are saying “to hell with” the latest political turmoil created by Brexit and continuing to book holidays, according to the trade. Demand for holidays does


not appear to have been hit by a dramatic political week in which Parliament was shut down for five weeks, MPs passed a motion to block a no- deal Brexit and Boris Johnson failed in his latest call for a general election. Agents, operators and consortia


said: “Tere has been no impact on performance. If anything, customers want to book so they can get away from the Brexit saga.” Paul Waters, director of 21-branch


STORY TOP


Premier Travel, said: “We had a positive week last week. When the deadline was near in March, our branches said it was impacting business. We are in a stronger position this


time round.” Gary Lewis, chief executive of


said sales were largely in line with last year – unlike a bookings fall ahead of the original March 29 exit date. Mark Johnson, operations


director at Polka Dot Travel, said the 15-branch agency had continued to hit its targets in the last week. He


travelweekly.co.uk


Te Travel Network Group, said the consortium’s members had seen an upliſt in lates and winter bookings and strong sales for next summer in the last week, adding that 2020 was “beter than this time last year”. “Members are not worried about


October 31 because they have heard it so many times,” he said. “Tey went


through this in March. People are not changing their behaviour.” Speaking at Brand USA’s Travel


Week in London, Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “UK customers have been quite resilient in the face of all the news. Second time round [October 31], people are thinking ‘whatever, I’m going to travel’.” However, he admited a “slight


fall” in bookings in recent weeks. Sunvil chairman Noel Josephides


said the operator’s booking patern in the last week had been “quite normal”. “All our regulars are booking. We


are seeing people saying ‘to hell with it’ and going on holiday. It’s different from the situation in March. Te public are more confident,” he said. Scotish Passenger Agents’


Association chairman Ken McLeod said: “I don’t think Brexit is discussed


between customers and agents. In March, you had the whole summer ahead, but now it’s the winter programme, which can be a litle more flexible. Tere’s no real downturn, but it’s a rollercoaster. “People are sick and tired of it


and are booking. Te 29th [March] passed, and the 31st [October] might pass too and it might be the same next year. I don’t think anyone cares anymore.” However, a senior tour operator,


who asked not to be named, said: “Everybody I speak to says the ongoing situation is knackering consumer confidence.” He added the cost of acquiring


customers was “blisteringly high”, so “the only happy businesses in a situation like this are those underpinned by loyal customers”.


12 SEPTEMBER 2019 5


took to the River Medway as branch manager Trevor


last weekend – dressed as superheroes and villains. Everyone from Iron Man and Wonder Woman to The Joker and She-Rah


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