Agents report ‘strong’ lates market


Andrew McQuarrie and Ella Sagar


Travel agency leaders have welcomed improved year-on- year performances as schools in England and Wales prepare to break up for summer next week. The Advantage Travel Partnership


reported an 8% increase in bookings in the past week compared with the same week in 2025, with the top-three departure months being September, July and August. John Sullivan, the consortium’s


commercial director, said the lates market is “still strong”, noting it accounted for nearly 49% of all bookings in the past week – up by nearly 5% on the previous week. The building momentum comes


after Barclays card data showed spending with agents returned to growth in June after three consecutive months of year-on-year decline. Protected Trust Services


managing director Emma Collis said members achieved bookings growth of almost 17% year on year in the period from July 1 to July 14, despite the same level of enquiries. “More of those enquiries are


converting into bookings,” she said, adding: “There is still a lates market, with late bookings slightly ahead of last year, although demand is mainly focused on July and September departures. August is proving slower and appears harder to shift.” Inspire Europe chief executive


Lisa Henning said the group’s agents are being encouraged to “change the


Tempest-Mitchell and Slater hailed for contribution to trade


Travel Weekly reporters


Two leaders of the UK travel trade received the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry award at the 2026 Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards. Henbury Travel owner Richard


Slater and Barrhead Travel managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell were honoured for their achievements at the event, held in association with Celebrity Cruises and Virgin Atlantic. Tempest-Mitchell said: “I feel so


honoured to receive this, but shocked at the same time. “I always look at the recipients


4 16 JULY 2026


of these awards and I’m so proud of what they’ve achieved, but I never thought for one minute I would achieve that myself. I’m blown away.” She added: “I’ve surrounded


myself with the most incredible people over the years and couldn’t have won this without them.” After winning the award, Henbury


Travel founder and managing director Slater recalled his school days and setting up Henbury Travel in 2011 as a homeworker, before opening a shop in 2018. He said: “I wasn’t particularly academic at school and used to get bullied a lot, so to win this award feels amazing. I was determined


Demand is mainly


focused on July and September departures – August is slower and harder to shift


perception that last-minute equals cheap”. She cited two high-value late bookings secured on Saturday – one of them a £29,600 trip to Paphos departing in July, the other a £25,000 booking to the Maldives for September. “It just shows you that the last-minute bookings don’t have to be low in value,” she added. InteleTravel UK and Ireland


managing director Tricia Handley-Hughes said bookings were


up 27% on the same week last year, with revenue up 16%, while Designer Travel’s Darren Bien, the group’s head of sales and commercial, described trading as “buoyant”, particularly across European destinations, cruise and “affordable luxury”. “We’ve seen more bookings


but a lower average booking value, meaning we’re having to work smarter,” he added. Cruise specialists presented a


mixed picture on trends, with Cruise2 noting an increase in late bookings this year, while ROL Cruise pointed to increasing numbers booking “well ahead of the departure date”. Agencies said the heatwave


across western Europe had not led to concern from customers or any noticeable shifts in trends.


Richard Slater (second left) and Nicki Tempest-Mitchell (second right) receive awards


my business would not fail.” Slater decided to work in the


travel industry after his parents split up and his mother took him on a cruise holiday. “I was going to work in a bank but


I really enjoyed the cruise and when I came back my mum saw an advert for a travel and tourism course and I did that instead,” he said. Slater, who has been northwest


regional chair for Abta since 2019, added that winning the award validated his work speaking up for travel agent issues nationally via hundreds of TV and radio interviews. “People are shy and don’t like to


rock the boat, but you have to rock the boat,” he said. The Outstanding Contribution


to the Industry awards were sponsored by Holland America Line and presented by business development manager Laura Gray. Guests at last week’s event raised £6,546 for Merle’s Wish, a charity that supports people facing terminal illnesses. Inspire Europe chief executive Lisa Henning, who spoke on stage about the charity set up after her mother’s diagnosis, described the total raised as “incredible”, adding it


would fund 81 wheelchairs. i AAAs coverage, pages 10-13


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Steve Dunlop


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