GTMC members see air bookings rise in third quarter
Members of the Guild of Travel Management Companies made 1.48 million airline bookings in the third quarter, 5% up on the same quarter in 2005.
GTMC also made more than 700,000 hotel reservations, a 12% increase on the previous year, according to its Quarterly Transactions Report reveals.
The total number of transactions, including rail, car hire and other bookings, was 2,855,357, 7% up on 2005.
“We are delighted to report yet another very positive set of figures,” says GTMC chief executive Philip Carlisle. “The third quarter, spanning the main summer holiday season, is generally one of the quieter periods, but this is a very strong performance indeed.
“We keep telling ourselves that these growth rates are unsustainable, and we keep proving ourselves wrong. Barring unforeseeable incidents, and providing interest rates are kept under careful control, I can see no reason why these business activity increases should not continue well into 2007.”
In the nine months to September 30, Guild members have made more than 9.32 million travel transactions, including 4.93 million air bookings and 2.17 million hotel reservations.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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