Agents optimistic after reopening Juliet Dennis


Travel agents say they are optimistic about the future after opening their doors on the high street for the first time in 12 weeks. Scores of agents reopened on


Monday as non-essential retailers in England were allowed to welcome clients back into their shops for the first time since lockdown in March. Agents reported a steady flow


of customers on the first couple of days back. Many said they made new bookings, while others said clients popped in with gifts, to check existing bookings and refunds or to collect brochures.


Idle Travel director Tony Mann


felt encouraged by the footfall in his Bradford agency. “Customers have waited to


book because they wanted to see us face-to-face,” he said. “They absolutely value that,


probably even more so than before. “Once travel starts moving again,


and if the R rate stays down, I can see us being extremely busy. We are not doing the same level of bookings as we were [pre-Covid] but I feel positive.” Kayne Travel in Wath upon


Dearne, South Yorkshire, reopened with all three staff this week. Owner Emma Kayne said: “People have had time to really


Larger agencies move to reopen stores in phases


Juliet Dennis


The UK’s largest travel agency Hays Travel is to begin a phased reopening of its 650-strong network this week, while other large chains plan a return to the high street at the end of this month. Barrhead Travel is to gradually


reopen its 49 shops at the end of June or start of July, while Miles Morgan Travel is aiming to open all its 18 shops on June 29. Hays Travel said its first shops


would reopen on Thursday but had not confirmed numbers or locations as Travel Weekly went to press. It plans to have all open by


4 18 JUNE 2020


the beginning of July with a full complement of staff and screens and social distancing measures in place but is encouraging customers to make appointments. Managing director John Hays


said: “We are really looking forward to being back serving our customers in our shops, but we will only do it in the safest possible way for all of us.” Joint owner Irene Hays said: “It’s


good to be getting back to normal gradually – even if it’s a little bit different to what we’re used to.” Jacqueline Dobson, president of


Barrhead Travel, said the Scotland- based agency had been working on “a meticulous return plan for our


John Hays


store network across the UK”. She reiterated that the safety of


staff and customers was the agency’s “main focus” in determining when shops reopened “regardless of when the government say it is safe”. “We plan to gradually increase


the number of stores open on a week-by-week basis with ongoing safety assessments,” she added. Miles Morgan Travel will at first


reopen with an appointment-only, locked-door policy with one member of staff per branch.


Jacqueline Dobson


Miles Morgan Chairman Miles Morgan said:


“I’m hopeful we can open with a clean sheet of paper so we don’t have people coming in talking about refunds.” He added: “What’s lovely is that


after living in a very dark tunnel for weeks and weeks, we can now see chinks of light in reopening and in terms of flights operating. We are on the slope back up again.” Tui said it was “still reviewing”


when it would reopen its 550 stores. i Get Social, page 19


travelweekly.co.uk


think about what holiday they want. Although this year has been a washout, next year is looking positive and we can keep building on that.” The agency’s first morning


back exceeded expectations, said Kayne, with new enquiries made, appointments booked and brochures requested. “I made the right


It’s been a long


time since we made three bookings in one morning. People have waited to book in store


decision,” she added. “It’s amazing to get back to some kind of normality.” Jill Waite, director of Pole


Travel in Failsworth, Manchester, said: “People want the reassurance of seeing we’re open. We’ve had a few people in; one was even asking about holidays for 2022.” Deben Travel in Woodbridge,


Suffolk, made three bookings on the first day it reopened: two winter-sun holidays, for Tenerife and the Maldives, and one for Menorca next summer. Owner Lee Hunt said: “It’s been


a long time since we made three bookings in one morning. People have also waited to come and book in store; they wanted to see us face-to-face.”


PICTURE: Malcolm Cochrane


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32