The Advantage Travel Partnership, Britain’s largest consortium of independent travel agents, has reported an exceptional end to the year, with an impressive surge in bookings and revenue growth across both the festive period and for 2025 bookings.   Top Destinations for 2024 Christmas Travel   Bookings overall for the Christmas period are seeing a rise of 12% over 2024, with The Canary Islands dominating bookings for the festive period and Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria taking the top three spots.  This is followed by the ever-popular Benidorm, proving that travellers are continuing to favour sun and beach holidays to escape the gloomy UK weather this winter.   While Europe remains a strong favourite, long-haul travel continues to show robust performance. In terms of mid- and long-haul destinations, the USA, Dubai and Thailand are emerging as the most sought-after locations for travellers this season. Long-haul bookings have proven resilient throughout 2024, even in the face of economic uncertainty. This enduring demand for long-haul travel reflects the fact that travellers are looking for richer cultural, immersive experiences and a sense of adventure that can be offered by for far flung destinations. Long-haul destinations also remain popular as they can cater to a diverse range of budgets, from luxury holidays to more affordable options. For example, Dubai continues to attract both those looking for luxury as well as families seeking family-friendly resorts, shopping and entertainment. Thailand, with its varied options from budget backpacking to luxury resorts, offers an appealing blend of affordability and exotic appeal.   City breaks are also continuing to be a popular trend, with strong sales of the more established favourite city break destinations for this time of the year, including Budapest and Prague, and also some lesser-known city break destinations such as Porto and Gdansk, which offer exceptional value to travel to and when you are there. The most common trip length remained at eight nights, consistent with last year’s trend. All-inclusive packages were the dominant choice for travellers, accounting for around 50% of bookings and seeing significant growth. This aligns with consumer desires to manage their budgets during the festive period while enjoying peace of mind on a hassle-free, all-inclusive holiday.   Looking Ahead to 2025: A Positive Start to the Year   Looking ahead to 2025, The Advantage Travel Partnership is tracking ahead of last year by 15% in bookings so far. As expected, summer holidays are leading the way, with summer bookings accounting for 55% of all reservations. The average duration for these trips is 10 nights, the same as at this time in 2024.   Destinations for 2025 mirror many of the trends seen this year, with Tenerife, Majorca and Costa Blanca holding the top three spots for European getaways. Long-haul travel is seeing continued interest, with the USA, the Caribbean and Thailand topping the list for international destinations. Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership said: “We’ve had a really strong performance throughout 2024 and it’s great that we’re ending the year on a high. The strength of trading throughout 2024 reflects the resilience of both our travel agent partners and the broader travel sector. The appetite for travel continues to grow as consumers seek both value and experience, and we’re excited to see this momentum continue into 2025.   “Our agent partners across the UK also continue to see new customers as people look to book their travel via a travel agent, not only to get access to great deals but also for peace of mind when travelling.   “As the UK travel industry now enters one of the year's peak booking periods, when approximately 60% of Brits book a family summer package holiday by the end of February, our travel agency partners are gearing up for a busy period. Across our national network of travel agency partners, we are supporting them with a major marketing campaign: That Just Booked Feeling, with offers, promotions, and incentives to encourage early bookings.”

  The Advantage Travel Partnership has announced The Holiday Fixer has joined the consortia under its Advantage Managed Services’ (AMS) model. Founded eight-years ago by Britt-Marie Monks, this business has thirty homeworkers known as the Fixers, booking all types of holidays and ahead of 2025 are putting plans in place for their first conference.   Following Britts unexpected redundancy in 2016, she put her travel experience to practice becoming a self-employed travel agent to help fit her job around her family and in 2018 officially launched her own agency after two years in the making. With the opportunity to travel to incredible destinations, Britt and The Holiday Fixer is able to create bespoke holidays for her customers creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences. With the separate brand The Honeymoon Fixer, the team are able to accommodate the recent push for luxury honeymoons and weddings whilst The Holiday Fixer focus on other travel opportunities. Britt’s journey to creating a successful travel agency was not without tribulations as in her first year of operating, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, and following being given the all-clear, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK. Nonetheless, Britt and her incredibly supportive team navigated these trials and now in 2024 have a growing team on thirty Fixers as well as the, Become a Holiday Fixer Mentor Programme, which will hope to see the company have a total of fifty Fixers by the end of 2025 as well as taking on a sales manager and business development manager.   Britt-Marie Monks founder of The Holiday Fixer said: “Being made redundant was the best thing that ever happened to me as, otherwise, I would never set up my travel business. It’s not a job, more a vocation that makes me incredibly happy.  Having the opportunity to travel to amazing places and also researching and putting together bespoke holidays, making our customers dreams come true – what could be better. Due to our growth over recent years, we needed a consortium that could support us and be flexible and Advantage offered this. We wanted the support from a managed service model but with the ability to be able to run the business the way I wanted to. This enables us to be relevant and push boundaries.”   Britt goes on to talk about her advice for anyone looking to start their own business: “Make sure you so you research before you start, I worked for a large travel franchise for two years to build my confidence to sell independently. Success takes a lot of hard work, it will not come easy but it will be worth it, so dream big!”   Kelly Cookes, Chief Commercial Officer of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “We’re overjoyed to have another impressive agency such as The Holiday Fixer to join Advantage. The Holiday Fixer is a great match for Advantage as we share the same ethos and want to ensure that all of its customers are treated with outstanding customer service. We are continuing to see great success with our AMS model and look forward to supporting Britt and her team to continue offering these experiences to their client base.”

The Advantage Travel Partnership has announced a new partnership with travel technology firm Vibe. The Vibe tech solution will be implemented for a new online booking tool platform for TMCs operating under the Advantage Managed Services (AMS) model. It will allow members access to Vibe's custom-built booking platform, designed specifically for agents with tools usually accessible only to the largest organisations. This enables TMCs, who may not have the resources to implement a system of this scale alone, to offer customers the OBT service that Vibe enables. Stephen Baxendale, Advantage’s Technology Partnerships Manager said: “This partnership with Vibe means offering a technology proposition that stands out in a highly competitive space.” This is a further step in our One-Stop Business Hub capabilities for our members helping them to respond to the growing market needs.” Danny Girling, Vibe's Business Development & Head of Partnerships said: "Members servicing business travel accounts, who operate under The Advantage Travel Partnership’s managed services model, can now tap into our platform.” “By leveraging their collective strength, Advantage is offering their members access to the same tools and services as the biggest players in the industry." Advantage’s managed service model, which celebrated its 15-year anniversary this year, is a plug and play model originally set up to alleviate the time and resources needed to run the operational side of a travel business. Users of the AMS model has grown significantly since 2009 and today encompasses 87 branches. They collectively generate an annual turnover in excess of £160m.

  The Advantage Travel Partnership and the Business Travel Association (BTA) have announced a joint event, Corporate Travel Summit, scheduled for Thursday, 6th March at the Novotel London West. This inaugural collaborative initiative will bring together two significant industry conferences: the BTA Spring Conference and the Advantage Business Travel Symposium.   The one-day event represents a strategic partnership aimed at creating a comprehensive platform for business travel professionals. It will feature approximately 100 partner suppliers, providing a unique opportunity for Travel Management Companies (TMCs), buyers and partner suppliers to network, share knowledge, and explore innovative industry solutions.   This collaborative effort underscores a shared commitment to addressing critical challenges in the travel management sector. By combining their collective expertise, resources, and industry networks, both organisations aim to deliver meaningful insights and opportunities for their members and the broader travel community.   Clive Wratten, CEO of the BTA: "Our collaborative approach shows continued cooperation in the travel management industry. Together, the partnership could become a powerful catalyst for positive change, addressing industry challenges head-on and creating new opportunities for growth and development.”   Andrea Caulfield-Smith, Managing Director of Global Business Travel at The Advantage Travel Partnership: "This partnership represents an exciting opportunity to combine our strengths and create value for our industry. By joining forces, we can develop more impactful initiatives that benefit our members and the travel sector as a whole."   Further details of the event and registration information will be launched in January.

  The Advantage Travel Partnership has announced the promotion of Lee Ainsworth to the position of Director of Strategy, effective 1 December 2024. In this newly created role, Ainsworth will lead the development and execution of the company's strategic plans, working closely with Advantage's wider senior leadership team to deliver on the company's ambitious growth agenda.   Commenting on Ainsworth's promotion, Julia Lo Bue-Said, Chief Executive Officer, The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: "Lee has been a longstanding and highly valued member of our team for the past nine years, and most recently as our Head of Operations, he has consistently demonstrated leadership and strategic thinking, bringing structure to our strategic project roadmap, which has been instrumental in supporting our success to date."   “Lee's promotion is a testament to his leadership skills and strategic insight, and I am confident he will add even greater value in supporting our bold and ambitious growth plans for the future in this new role," she continued. "His appointment also underscores our commitment to nurturing our people and ensuring that they have the opportunity to achieve their full potential."   Commenting on his promotion, Ainsworth added: "I am delighted to take on this new role. Over the past nine years, I have seen the incredible potential of our business and look forward to collaborating with the wider leadership team and advisory boards to drive our strategic development even further and deliver value for all our stakeholders through the achievement of our long-term goals."

  Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said:   “The confirmed delay by the EU of the infamous EES launch will inevitably give the travel industry a huge sigh of relief as there was significant concern at the preparedness throughout the EU bloc that would inevitably have caused delay and setbacks for so many non-EU passport holder at the borders.   An inordinate amount of work has already been undertaken across the UK Outbound Travel industry in preparing for these new digital border systems and the numerous delays to the introduction of the scheme are not conducive to good public awareness and this further delay whilst it gives more time to prepare remains another point of confusion. Right now, there is very limited public awareness of what this means for anyone expecting to travel to Europe from outside the EU and as we get closer to launch date and key travel periods clear and transparent communication will be vital.    When a new launch date is announced and the EU are considering the roll out of the system, they should be confident that it remains fit for purpose for the number of non-EU’s traveling through the bloc and not simply another burden for travellers.   Safety and security are of course paramount, but it is crucial that the government and the travel industry work together to make sure that Brits have a thorough understanding of the new systems, when they come into effect and how they will impact travel. We consistently recommend that consumers book through their local travel agent who will be able to ensure they are fully compliant with all travel requirements when they do come into effect, as well receive the best value for flights and accommodation, using their expert knowledge.”