Hays Travel Independence Group held a conference for its offices to analyze current sales. The company revealed some details: sales in February were 36 percent higher than at the same time before the pandemic, the number of customers increased by 17 percent and commission income jumped by 48 percent, according to the British travel industry website Travel Weekly.
In January, everything was a little different – then the turnover was 1% lower, passenger traffic by 7%, but the commission jumped by 5% and the margin by 10%. Current bookings also look good, despite Russia’s war in Ukraine. As before, it is clear that many customers want to leave, they have the money to do so, and that whole families travel.
According to Natasha Marson, head of Hays Travel Independence Group, the increase in commission is the result of negotiations with service providers. Summing up the results of recent months, she adds that the situation was difficult, but we managed to get through it. Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Woodall-Johnston adds that commissions received by March 20 are already 10% higher than in the same month in 2019.
Marson admits that agents are now facing additional problems – changes and cancellations and closures of hotels. It is also clear that customers expect more support from their tourism consultants in the booking process.