Hopes rise as operators report bookings upturn

Operators and airlines have released a fresh wave of Black Friday deals as hopes continue to rise that consumer confidence may slowly be returning.

While the immediate picture remains bleak – much of the winter market has been written off – a rush of Black Market offers, coupled with vaccine developments, a reduced quarantine period and news that consumers even in the harshest of post-lockdown tiers can travel overseas, has given consumers and operators a lift.

Wendy Wu Tours, Newmarket Holidays, Icelandair, Cathay Pacific and Ryanair have become the latest to offer Black Friday offers, following the raft of deals launched on Monday from Tui, On the Beach, EasyJet Holidays, Virgin and others.

Operators hope the introduction of cut price packages and flights, at a time when consumer morale is mildly improving will clinch deals.  

Sunvil chairman Noel Josephides said 45% of its 2021 summer programme has been sold, four months earlier than usual. Although many of the bookings are deferrals from 2020, the outlook was improving he said.

"The exercise for all of us is to get through to the end of February or March when final balances begin to come in. That’s what we all have to do, certainly for summer operators," he said.

"We have sold 45% of our summer 2021 programme and I’m sure many summer operators are in much the same position because a lot of these bookings were deferred bookings."

But he warned that operators, and the wider industry, was far from out of the woods.

"In the short term you can’t sell anything. Where are you going to send them? There’s nowhere to go," he said. "Now they are going to shut down the ski resorts, so it goes from bad to worse.

"The main aim is to hold on until those final balances come in for summer 2021 bookings, so we can get in some cash."

Josephides said late summer and heading into autumn was looking strong, with May and June weaker.

"May and June are likely to be more last minute, but it depends what happens after Christmas. If we see vaccinations start before the end of the year it will give courage and confidence to everyone. And it’s going to be older people who get the vaccination first, and our market is predominantly that older market. It will give them confidence to travel."

On the Beach also reported gathering momentum. The online retailer said the first three days of its Black Friday offers this week saw sales climb more than a quarter compared to the previous week.

The Canaries and mainland Spain were the most popular, with 27% and 19% booking share respectively, followed by the Balearics (17%), Greece (13%) and Turkey (7%).

More than a quarter of bookings were for May, On the Beach said.

Searches for flights and holidays on day one of easyJet’s sale surged 200%, the airline-operator reported.

"The response from our customers in just the first day goes to show how much people want to get away and have something to look forward to," easyJet Holidays Chief Executive Garry Wilson said.

Escorted tour specialists Newmarket Holidays claimed Black Friday sales will "fuel the recent upward trend".

Head of Trade Sales Richard Forde said: "We have seen an increase in web traffic and the number of enquiries over the last few weeks. This week, we are starting to see the results in the form of increased bookings, particularly for the likes of Lapland and late 2021 and 2022.

"We are optimistic this extra discount will really help agents get those bookings over the line, especially in light of the recent vaccination developments."

Wendy Wu Tours released a four-day offer including lounge access and free flights.

Global Sales Director John Warr said: "With news of the imminent vaccines on the horizon, 2021 and 2022 is all about getting back into travel and enjoying all the amazing experiences and cultures our world has to offer."