After a frenzied January for many, some agents are reporting a marked slowdown in bookings this month, with one even describing business as ‘dead’ and another saying it’s ‘fallen off a cliff’.
Posting in Travel Gossip’s Facebook group, several agents said the start of February was the worst they’d ever had.
Melanie Saavedra of Travel Sense, which is part of The Travel Network Group, said: “January was the busiest Jan we have ever had, but Feb, while still ticking along, seems slow.”
Several other agents agreed with Mel’s comment, while one said they’d noticed that both enquiries and sales were lower than this time last year.
A Not Just Travel agent said: “January was huge, but Feb has been about 50%-60% as a comparison, so definitely quieter.” Another joked that bookings were so thin on the ground ‘they’d be eating beans on toast next month’.
Worcestershire-based Ema Roland of Travel by Ema said: “I’m dead, the worst Jan and February I’ve ever had, and yet I see friends who have booked their holidays and used me last year, nothing this year; it’s really getting me down.”
Another agent said: “I’ve been dead since Christmas,” adding that they were 90% down year on year.
One agent, who didn’t want to be named, said: “It’s terrible for me too. I can’t understand why neither. I have regular clients but now see them posting when they are on holiday and they’ve not contacted me. Very frustrating.”
Andy Tomlinson, owner of Midlands-based Sutton Travel, said: “I agree, February is much quieter this month than January was, but then we always do tend to see a drop-off around 20%-25% most years. It’s fair to say that sales, and more noticeably enquiries, for this Feb are at a lower level than that of Feb ’25.”
Travel Counsellor Emma Estcourt said: “January was fantastic for me, had my best month ever but February is very slow.”
One agent said they’d noticed a downturn since the Chancellor’s Budget announcement last November, expressing fears that holidaymakers are becoming increasingly concerned about their finances, while others said they felt their clients were reining in spending post-Christmas.
Another suggested the ‘now or never’ holiday promotions in January were effectively ‘killing’ February as customers assume there are no more deals to be had.
Conversely, after an unusually quiet January, one agent said she has been ‘quite busy’ in February, ‘but not as busy as in previous years’, while others pointed out that it was likely quiet at the moment because of the school holidays.
Not all agents are in the doldrums, however. South Wales-based Kat Morgan, a Hays PTC along with her husband Simon, said: “Jan was my best Jan to date – Feb is tracking about 200% versus last year, even though it seems slower, the values are a lot higher.
“Haven’t booked anything bucket and spade really. All long-haul and cruise. Exactly the way I like it really.”
Sheffield-based Travel Counsellor Helen Kirkham said: “I had my best January in 19 years, and February is heading the same way. Demand is still high for me.”
Advantage Travel Centres Commercial Director John Sullivan said that February had ‘started a bit slower’ for its members, but average booking values are still up.
Alistair Rowland of Blue Bay Travel said they will hit last February’s level of bookings and profit today (18 February), with 10 days still to go. He suggested long haul was doing well, with Maldives and Zanzibar ‘particularly strong’.
Image is a stock photo.
