Midcounties boss predicts record year
Midcounties Co-operative Travel is predicting record trading in 2017 after seeing a 16% jump like-for-like sales in December.
It said sales were boosted by strong demand for traditional package holidays and luxury destinations.
Booking for summer 2017 to December 24 were up by more than 18%.
Sales were particularly strong for the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, up by 48% and 44% respectively.
"December capped off a fantastic year for us, with revenue topping £335 million across our branches, personal travel agents and consortium members," said group general manager Alistair Rowland.
"It’s encouraging to see strong demand for luxury locations, suggesting consumers remain confident despite some of the uncertainty caused by Brexit and other world events."
He added: "Post-Christmas enquiries are up and we’re also seeing a faster rate of growth in the family market versus couples, pointing to the importance of the family holiday for UK consumers.
"We’ve already made a strong start to 2017, which we are confident will be another record trading year for us."
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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