Abta members ‘working on’ price rule Ian Taylor


Abta reports members “are trying to get to grips” with new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) guidance on pricing despite being required to do so during the peak booking period. Time is running short as the CMA


gave notice it would allow travel sellers just three months to comply when it issued guidance on November 18 that all mandatory fees and taxes paid by customers in destination must be included in total prices. Paula Macfarlane, Abta senior


solicitor, acknowledged: “The timing, making system changes in peak booking season, is difficult, but people have to get on with it without


delay.” She warned: “The CMA can enforce this.” The regulator has new powers to


rule on breaches of consumer law and issue fines without going to court. Some agents have suggested


the guidance applies principally to operators. But Macfarlane noted: “It can apply to agents and to anyone making a price indication to a customer.” She said: “Members are trying


to get to grips with it. Everyone is working on it [compliance], but I’m not sure anyone has got there yet.” Businesses are advised to show


a ‘total price’, with the amount to ‘pay now’ and amount to ‘pay at the property’, plus an explanatory note that the total price “includes


Cruise agents report growing impetus as wave sales increase


Ella Sagar


Cruise specialist agents say bookings are “gaining momentum” during the wave selling period, with flash sales building on interest generated by early promotions. The trade had previously credited


early December campaigns featuring headline offers from a range of lines for stimulating the market leading into the new year. InteleTravel UK and Ireland


managing director Tricia Handley- Hughes said sales were up 25% compared to last year, with a focus on summer sailings and a mix of short and long-haul bookings.


4 22 JANUARY 2026 However, she said earlier “heavy


discounting” had affected yields, with average booking values down 10% to £3,700 for the period. Jonny Peat, director of cruise


at Advantage Travel Partnership, noted some promotions had “landed early” with “low deposits and deeper discounts” stimulating sales. But he reported average booking


values for the consortium’s members were up 11% year on year, saying clients were “prioritising value rather than the lowest price”. Janet Whittingham, head of cruise


at Travel Counsellors, said wave campaigns were helping to stimulate interest but agreed the market was


The timing is


difficult, but people have to get on with it without delay – the CMA can enforce this


approx. £xx (€xx) tax to be paid at the property based on an exchange rate of €1 = £x, and exchange rate and local taxes may change before you pay”. However, members continue to


ask whether charges in destination need to be included in the total price, said Macfarlane, stressing that sellers “can’t anymore” just set out the tax next to the price. Members are also asking what


to do if they can’t obtain a resort fee from a supplier, or if pricing a holiday when they don’t know which hotel will be booked. Macfarlane said: “Suppliers are


going to have to give resort fees. The CMA has acknowledged it would take account of that if it’s a problem. “If you really don’t know the hotel,


you can’t put it in the price. The one carve-out in the legislation is if a total price is impossible to calculate. But that is untested [in practice].” She urged members to use the


CMA guidance and to contact Abta’s member support team with any questions, saying: “We’re gathering queries to see where there are gaps


and problems.” i Andy Cooper: Comment, page 79


Cruise sales are said to be ‘building steadily’


“not purely discount-led”. She said cruise sales were up by 21.6% year on year, with booking volumes increasing each week in peaks. Catriona Parsons, head of cruise


at Hays Travel, said sales were “building steadily”, with year-on- year growth increasing from single to double digits and average selling prices increasing by £200 per person. Dave Mills, chief commercial


officer at Iglu Cruise, said cruise- and-stay and “more-inclusive” packages were growing in popularity, with flash offers building on “brilliant wave deals”. Elaine Ross, product and


partnerships manager at Cruise


Nation, said 2026 was “shaping up to be our most-booked sail year to date”, with the agency’s low deposit offer and flexible payment options helping to get bookings over the line. Fran Hurst, head of sales at


Bolsover Cruise Club, agreed “compelling offers” were helping to boost bookings, leading to year-on- year growth in passenger numbers and revenue. Barrhead Travel managing


director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell said the wave period had “a slightly flatter start” than in previous years, before “an acceleration in demand” resulted in year-on-year growth across all sectors since the start of school term.


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Shutterstock/maridav


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