Agents urged to maximise selling opportunities

Travel agents have been urged to better appreciate market trends and optimum selling periods in order to increase their sales.

The message came from the boss of market tracking company Ascent-MI, who released figures showing that agents are taking a higher share of summer 2009 holiday sales than in the equivalent period last year for this summer.

The research showed that agents have gained from a 66% share to 70% of the current summer 2009 market.

As part of this, agents have been able to account for a £6 million increase in mid-haul bookings, driven by al inclusive holiday sales, according to Ascent-MI chief executive Sarah Smalley.

For summer 2008 agents held onto their share of passengers at 58% but this showed no improvement on the previous year.

However, throughout the selling season agents’ share varied from 51% to 71% by month.

It is essential that agents know what to focus on at each stage of the booking season in order to maximise their opportunities, according to Smalley.

For example, the best time to book summer 2008 holidays was at launch the previous summer as there were fewer late holidays available due to operator capacity cuts.

All inclusive holidays increased in popularity for this summer, with a 19% rise as consumers sought to better manage their spending. An additional 500,000 holidays were sold to Egypt and Turkey, with the US and Mexico also performing well, Smalley said.

But there was a “significant” slump in self-catering passengers as operators sought to provide higher quality as well as the strength of the euro impacting on costs for holidaymakers in resort.

The average revenue achieved through booking at high street agents for this summer went up by two per cent, while direct revenues were up by seven per cent.

The trend so far for summer 2009 is for shorter duration breaks, with those of seven nights or under performing better than traditional 14-night holidays, according to the research.

For winter 2008-09, mid haul destinations such as Egypt and the Caribbean are driving the season but there has been a “toughening” in conditions in the past month. Winter has so far seen a one per cent year-on-year rise in passengers and a four per cent rise in value, with bookings for January departures driving growth.

There has been no move towards cheaper holidays.

by Phil Davies