Winter sun sales ‘picking up’
Saturday, 07 Dec, 2009
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Early season winter sun sales are up by more than 50% for a leading accommodation-only operator.
Youtravel.com claims “pent up demand” has led to the sales spike for November over the same time last year.
Top sellers include Sharm el Sheikh, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Costa Blanca, Algarve, Fuerteventura, Costa del Sol, Hurghada and Costa Brava.
Sales and marketing director Paul Riches said: “The terrible weather here and postponed summer holiday plans have driven people to think about getting away for some early winter sun.
“The fact that the winter flight availability has improved so much compared to this time last year, as the industry was still reeling from the XL collapse, has also boosted bookings.
“Euro zone resorts are holding their own against those in Egypt for example as resorts have adjusted prices to make them more competitive, bars and restaurants in particular have been forced to compete more – not just with non-euro destinations but also with the plethora of all-inclusive hotels.”
Looking ahead to the peak January sales period, Riches added that he is expecting to see a continuation in strong sales.
“The ruling of the Travel Republic case means that more agents are now getting involved with the dynamic packaging arena.
“In January we’d expect to see sales mostly for the latter half of the winter season as well as spring and early summer bookings. The late booking trend is here to stay however we’re well-placed to capitalise on this due to the fast-moving nature of the DP market,” he said.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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