FRONTLINE
board, three-star hotel, allocation on arrival’. Customers had no idea where they were going but they loved it.
Q. What was your biggest booking? When I was at the Hove store, which is quite a few years ago now, I booked a world cruise for a couple who had just retired. It came to about £50,000. They really went for it with the best suite on the ship and everything. They said they wanted to create amazing memories and spend their money while they still had time. I really remember that.
Michelle Kirkham The Brighton-based Tui manager
talks to Ella Sagar about how things have changed in the industry and why she became a cruise convert
Q. How did you get started in travel? I started a youth apprenticeship in 1988 at the Lunn Poly store on West Street in Brighton. We had a lovely red uniform that I remember very fondly. I decided to apply because one of my friend’s sisters worked there and recommended it. I’ve been in travel ever since, which is 38 years now – a very long time! I’m manager of the Tui Brighton store but have worked in many locations over the years, including Littlehampton, Lewes and Hove. I have always been in retail and what I love most about it is my colleagues. We use each other all the time for recommendations and advice. We collaborate and support each other on everything.
Q. Do you remember your very first booking? Yes, it was for a week away in Majorca and cost £79! Unbelievable to think of now. It was what we used to call a ‘Square Deal’, which we don’t do any more, sadly. They were amazing offers that we used to put on our window cards, just saying ‘Costa del Sol, half
24 14 MAY 2026
Q. What are the differences you see in the industry today compared with when you started? Everything in travel is always changing and never boring. When I began in the industry there was no internet, so that was a huge change in terms of how everyone researches and books holidays. It is hard to explain that to my younger colleagues sometimes. I remember people would come in and book from a brochure. For summer brochure launches, we would have people queueing up the street to be the first to book. Customers these days can be a lot more demanding – they want to know every detail of their trip and need more recommendations. In a way, the pandemic has brought more customers back into the shop, because they feel they want someone to speak to face to face and a contact if anything goes wrong. When we reopened after lockdown, so many people who had booked online realised how important that was and came back. What has not changed is that customers for the most part are very excited and delighted to be going on holiday. It’s a happy place to work, which you can’t say for some industries.
Q. What is trending in bookings at the moment? Most customers are wanting Spain or Greece given everything going on with the Middle East at the moment. People are wary of Turkey and Cyprus because of the perception that they are close to the conflict, which is such a shame because they’re great destinations. I think that will change, though. Mainly we book for couples. The Mediterranean is always popular, and we book a lot of Marella Cruises. We also do a bit of long-haul, like the Caribbean and Mexico, but lately I have definitely seen more people wanting to try new destinations. We sell Zanzibar and Senegal now, for instance.
Q. What are your own favourite destinations? It has got to be Ibiza. I’ve been about 12 times! When you’re there, I feel it doesn’t matter who you are, you can totally be yourself. No one cares whether you’re old or young or whatever, everyone is accepted. It’s a pity that lots of customers still think Ibiza is going to be loud, lively and all party. The party is there if you want it, but you can also hire a car to visit the beautiful beaches and explore the island.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO CRUISE?
Before I went on my first sailing, I didn’t really think
cruising was for me. That all changed when I had a chance to go on a Virgin Voyages sailing out of Barcelona through work. It was an amazing itinerary and we visited Palma, Marseille and Ibiza. I took my husband and we were surprised by the flexibility and value of it all. The food was insanely good and the entertainment was brilliant. We absolutely loved it and could not stop talking about it when we got back. The beauty of cruising is you can make it as busy or relaxing as you want it to be, plus you can wake up somewhere new every day and choose where to
explore. I talked my sister into going on a Virgin Voyages
cruise with us last year when she had previously never
thought about cruising. And for 2027, I have booked a
group of six of us to go away for my brother-in-law’s 50th, including my mum and dad. I am definitely a convert. I
would advise other agents to join cruise lines’ Facebook pages so you can keep up to date with all the latest on them.
Michelle loves the flexibility of cruising
travelweekly.co.uk
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