Juliet Dennis


Peaks ‘fully kicks in’ despite storm 10%


Premier Travel managing


Peaks sales “fully kicked in” over the weekend for large agency chains despite severe weather resulting in mixed trading for independents nationwide. High street shops across swathes of the UK saw reduced footfall due to heavy snow and strong winds last week, but many reported a post-storm bookings bounce. Hays Travel said Saturday


(January 10) was the busiest trading day in its history, with retail director Jane Schumm citing “double-digit year-on-year growth” following the agency’s “biggest zero deposit campaign ever”. Barrhead Travel managing


director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell agreed: “Peaks have fully kicked in.”


director Paul Waters said trading “strengthened significantly” on Friday, Saturday and Monday. All three days outperformed the equivalent days last year after “some challenges caused by poor weather and reduced footfall” last week. Althams Travel reported


“excellent year-on-year increases” since January 5, with sales about 8% up on 2025 since the turn of the year. Managing director Sandra


McAllister noted: “We were not too badly affected by Storm Goretti.” Smaller businesses unaffected by


bad weather were also upbeat. Sam Smith Travel sales and commercial manager Suzanne Cumpston said: “Business is booming. This year is better, much better [than 2025].” The Travel Network Group


Trade reports mixed US demand due to policies and prices


Ella Sagar


Some agents have reported a rise in anti-US sentiment in response to the Trump administration’s actions so far in 2026, though many in the trade say there has been no noticeable impact on bookings. The mixed picture comes amid


continued US government rhetoric over foreign intervention following its seizure of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and domestic unrest over its anti-immigration policies. Magical Traveller owner Kieran Eccles-Miller said several clients had


4 15 JANUARY 2026


cancelled their US trips and reduced their time in port pre and post-cruise, while certain online posts receive increasingly negative comments. “I am finding more clients


deciding not to travel to the US,” he said. “One ad for Royal Caribbean is getting daily negative comments, saying to boycott the US, and the post is not even about the US specifically.” Southampton Cruise Concierge


founder Joanne Pearson said “trolls leaving negative comments” on the agency’s Facebook offers about Caribbean cruises had become so frequent she had had to hide posts.


Increase in Advantage members’ sales versus the same time last year


reported a more varied picture depending on location and business mix. Director of membership services Stephanie Slark blamed “significant” weather disruption in the southwest, including high winds and power outages, for “temporarily” slowing trading, and snowy conditions for reducing branch footfall elsewhere. But she noted: “There’s also


been a small but noticeable group of customers who say the prolonged poor weather has been the final push they needed to book a holiday.”


Advantage Travel Partnership


commercial director John Sullivan agreed: “Poor weather often gets people thinking of warmer climes.” The consortium said members’


sales were more than 10% ahead of the same time last year. Protected Trust Services said


sales momentum “dipped slightly” midweek and reported a “quieter Saturday” than the previous week. Homeworkers in particular


claimed to be reaping the benefits of more consumers working remotely during the bad weather. InteleTravel reported sales 30% up


since January 1 on 2025; Independent Travel Experts’ overall sales were nearly 28% up year on year; and Personal Travel Consultants with Blue Bay Travel’s sales jumped 20% year on year for January 3-11.


Miami, Florida


The Travel Business owner Ellie


Fowler said the agency was “very cautious” on social media, but reported no change in booking levels. Paramount Cruises head of sales


Patrick Hill said he had not seen “negative sentiment noticeably worsen” around US-related online content since last January. But he attributed a “clear


downturn in US bookings” over the past year to “rising costs, wider economic pressure and changing travel behaviour”. Some experts reported no change in sentiment towards the US.


USAirtours founder Guy Novik


said US bookings were up 10% year on year, with no feedback from agents on negative social media experiences. Travel Den founder Gilli Knight


said her team was “still selling the US strongly” and “had no experience of any pushback on social media”. Travel Chaps co-founder Matt


Phillips reported “no material impact on destination choice or sales”. Advantage Travel Partnership


commercial director John Sullivan said the US continued to be “one of the most popular long-haul destinations”.


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Felix Mizioznikov


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