NEWS ROUND-UP
Trade targets UK breaks ahead of overseas restart
Samantha Mayling
The trade is seeking to persuade clients who normally take overseas holidays to book domestic trips as the market for international travel remains nervous. Phil Nuttall, owner of agency
brands The Holiday Village and The Travel Village, said his business had ramped up its domestic offering as it awaited certainty on foreign travel and cruises. Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast
he said: “It is a long-term investment for us. This is a game changer.” Nuttall said there was “no way
we’re going to move away from promoting UK breaks”, adding: “If anything, that’s going to get stronger.” He said his company’s proportion
of domestic business had risen from 1% this time last year to 20% now. “We’ve targeted all our database
to promote UK breaks,” he said. “The alternative is to shut up shop.”
Icelolly.com chief executive
Richard Singer said the holiday price comparison site launched a domestic offering “from scratch” in eight weeks last year, integrating product from
Booking.com and Vrbo, among others. He said demand was primarily from families and young couples who usually booked foreign trips.
Andy Freeth, chief executive of
coach tours and UK breaks specialist JG Travel Group, said his brands were keen to work with agents, and noted its clientele are more mature travellers, many of whom have already received Covid-19 vaccines, giving them confidence to book UK tours. He added that the firm – parent of
Just Go! Holidays, National Holidays and Omega Breaks, which sell about
Watch the domestic tourism webcast at:
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Richard Singer
Andy Freeth
Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley Phil Nuttall
12% via the trade – has anti-Covid protocols in place. “Any tour operator or coach
operator that doesn’t want to work with the trade will be missing a trick,” added Freeth, who said domestic bookings were a “simple transaction” and “conversions are really high”. Nuttall warned the shift to
domestic meant: “Demand is going to outstrip supply for the next two years in terms of UK breaks.” He said agents have plenty of
options for selling coach holidays in the UK but highlighted a limited number of suppliers offering a wider range of domestic products.
Gatwick imposes £5 drop-off fee at North Terminal from March
Gatwick will start charging a £5 drop-off fee at its North Terminal from next month. It said the move would create a “vital” revenue stream, but the announcement triggered heavy criticism on the airport’s Facebook page. Gatwick plans to extend
the charge to South Terminal at a later date. i Get Social, page 21
10 18 FEBRUARY 2021
G Adventures eyes M&A deals with private equity funding
G Adventures plans to accelerate its pursuit of mergers and acquisitions and investments in platform upgrades after securing funding from private equity firm Certares. The small-groups operator did not disclose the value of the investment but said founder Bruce Poon Tip would remain the controlling shareholder.
More Brits ‘keen to spread their holiday payments’
Travel customers are increasingly keen on spreading their holiday payments, according to consumer polls and travel agents. A snap YouGov poll of 1,200
Britons found 34% of respondents would be interested in paying off a travel service over time, with 18% citing price as an obstacle to booking. Homeworking group Not Just
Travel said it had seen a surge in people opting to pay for holidays in 2022 and 2023 via regular direct debits rather than the traditional method of deposit and balance. It also reported a £1,000
increase in average selling price during the pandemic and a trend towards dates well into the future. Co-founder Steve Witt said:
“Having something to look forward to makes being in lockdown feel a bit better.” Alan Bowen, legal advisor to the
Association of Atol Companies, said: “Consumers have yet to discover that paying by monthly direct debit prevents chargebacks and Section 75 claims, hence the reason the travel industry is so keen to promote them.”
More customers
want to set up direct debits to pay for holidays
Four agencies join Midcounties’ Co-op Travel Consortium
Four agencies have this year joined the Co-op Travel Consortium, Midcounties Co-operative Travel’s group of independent agencies. They include Travel By Hannah in Marlborough, Wiltshire; Travel By Design in the Channel Islands; and The Holiday Emporium in Rainford, Merseyside. Details of the fourth agency are yet to be released.
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