Comment by Jeremy Skidmore (www.jeremyskidmore.com)
Something strange is going on when praise is suddenly heaped on journalists.
The Daily Express has been receiving plaudits from just about everyone for its recent front page story dedicated to peak holiday sales.
Holidaymakers are defying the crunch, it said, with around 200,000 people a day snapping up deals.
Can this really be the case? I’ve done some research and, as the paper claims, there’s certainly some cause for optimism.
Yes, December was dreadful for many companies, but that has been well documented.
And not many people booked between Christmas and New Year, I was told.
But a strange thing has happened since then. With the wave of advertising and media reports it almost feels like an old-fashioned January, when the majority of people rushed out to take advantage of the holiday sales.
OK, I’m not getting carried away. There’s still a big fear over jobs – people who are either losing them or worried they will lose them are not spending their cash.
But others are. Independents, such as Global, are reporting an increase in high street sales.
For the first time the financial protection message is getting across, after various failures and numerous television adverts. People are actually going into shops and asking if their holidays are safe.
Internet holiday sales have also risen sharply in the past week; lowcostbeds.com reported a 100% jump in sales in the first week in January.
Skiers are suddenly deciding that they can’t do without their week on the mountain, after all.
Of course there’s a long way to go and it’s not all rosy. Consumers are shopping around like no tomorrow and demanding the cheapest prices, so there’s pressure on margins.
They’re also booking later and the some of the traditional summer destinations are struggling.
Not surprisingly, people are looking outside the eurozone and are keen on all-inclusives, so they can budget more easily.
There’s still everything to play for, but the deepening economic gloom seems to be making Brits even more determined to have a holiday.
What are your sales like?
