Ben Ireland


Trade upbeat for summer onwards 47%


Bookings remain steady for summer 2021 onwards, with agents ready to pounce on demand when more certainty over travel restrictions emerges. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab


and health secretary Matt Hancock both suggested it was “too early” to book overseas summer holidays this week. Despite that, easyJet holidays,


which extended its suspension to March 24, reported summer sales up 250% on 2020. Iata chief economist Brian Pearce


admitted “immediate prospects” for airline bookings were “not good”,


with “further deterioration” expected in the next couple of months. He said “the summer season could still be successful” and carriers were only able to base capacity on “some tour operators taking summer bookings”. Suzanne Brunt, sales and business


development manager for the Vertical Travel Group’s Your Holiday Booking division, said winter 2021-22 and summer 2022 were the “main drivers” of sales but anticipated a strong lates market for summer 2021. Miles Morgan, chairman of Miles


Morgan Travel, said sales had been “sluggish”, with his teams “having to create an awful lot of new business”. Agents were focusing on sales for the


Cruise leaders buoyed by ‘huge forward demand’


Travel Weekly reporters


Cruise leaders are confident of a strong return for the sector once it can resume sailing. Maritime minister Robert Courts


is yet to provide the date the industry craves but told Travel Weekly the government “stands behind” UK lines, which he described as a “true British success story” and a “priority”. Praising the sector’s “resilience


and vigour”, Courts said he expects the industry to come back “stronger and more ambitious than ever”. Clia’s global president and chief


executive, Kelly Craighead, said the phased return of cruising would be “very measured”, with health


4 21 JANUARY 2021


a priority, but admitted it was a “challenging time” for lines, and agents, as they await the restart. She told a Travel Weekly webcast


that vaccine progress was “very exciting” but “not a silver bullet” for cruise’s return, and stressed the importance of new health protocols that will remain in place. Most cruise lines have paused


sailings to at least April, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands the latest to do so. But MSC Cruises confirmed it would resume ex-Italy operations on Sunday. Operators and agents are bullish


about prospects for the sector. Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean International’s vice president for the


Proportion of Advantage members’ bookings for August-December travel


second half of 2021, he said, adding: “If there is strong demand, it’s for 2022”. Both Brunt and Morgan said


customers were spending more to make up for missing holidays in 2020. Barrhead Travel reported demand


for October half-term, winter 2021-22 and summer 2022 had overtaken summer 2021. But president Jacqueline Dobson said: “As each day goes by,


bookings and enquiries are increasing, which signals the market may pick up in tandem with vaccine progress.” The Advantage Travel Partnership


said 47% of members’ bookings were for travel between August and December, and 33% for 2022 onwards. Leisure director Kelly Cookes said


the “majority” of bookings were from “mature travellers” as the vaccination programme gathers pace. Saga and Tui reported sustained


demand from the over-50s, with more than 50% of Tui’s website bookings from this age group. UK managing director Andrew Flintham told the


BBC: “The summer holiday is on.” i Business, page 55


Clia’s Kelly Craighead


Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley


EMEA region, branded the vaccine rollout “a pivotal point” and said summer 2021 demand was “good” but not as “strong” as for 2022. Norwegian Cruise Line’s UK and


Ireland managing director, Eamonn Ferrin, reported “huge forward demand”, as well as customers “sitting on credit” as they await certainty before rebooking. Carnival Corporation chief


financial officer David Bernstein said about 45% of deposits were “unapplied future cruise credits” which Carnival expects to “turn into bookings in the next six or 12 months”. In Tui’s 2020 annual report, chief


executive Fritz Joussen pointed out Tui-owned lines welcomed 40,000


guests last summer “without a single coronavirus case”, noting “cruise liners can be safe yet relaxing”. Barrhead Travel reported


“demand for cruise has picked up” in the last week, stimulated by 2022 programmes going on sale. Kelly Cookes, leisure director at


The Advantage Travel Partnership, said cruise bookings had been “slower than other sectors” but reported “interest from frequent cruisers” for


late 2021 through to 2023. i Special Report, page 10


Watch the webcast with Clia’s Kelly Craighead at: go.travelweekly.co.uk/webcasts


travelweekly.co.uk


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