The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel saw a substantial rise in UK staycation bookings during the week ending June 26, particularly for breaks during July, August and September 2020.
Compared to the week ending June 19, staycation bookings last week increased by 263% for departures in July 2020 and by 145% for August 2020. Bookings for UK holidays departing in September 2020 saw the biggest increase, with sales up 550% compared to the previous week.
Sheena Whittle, head of The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel, said: ?As soon as the government announced that hotels, restaurants, pubs and attractions could open from July 4 and that people living in England could travel around the country more freely from this date, our agents saw a significant spike in demand for summer 2020 UK breaks. The majority of the UK summer 2020 bookings our agents are receiving are for lodges in more remote destinations or for individual holiday home rentals. Holidays offered by Hoseasons are performing particularly well.?
The Personal Travel Agents at Co-operative Travel?s current and previous top seller of UK holidays, Ginette Steele, said: ?It was a heart-breaking few weeks as the pandemic escalated. But I?m now really busy again, with lots of new inquiries, especially for the staycation market.
?The question everyone asks, and which is, without doubt, the most important factor to all my clients, is ?will my money be safe??. To sell to them, I need to show that, should problems arise, their holiday dates can be moved or I can secure a refund for them.
?As a personal travel agent, my customers look to me for advice and so I?m also keen to stress to them that they should be as sensible as possible in the run-up to their holiday this summer.
?The overarching trend I see is that if customers feel reassured the accommodation is safe and their money is protected, there is a strong desire to head to the UK?s beautiful coastline or countryside, to spend quality time as a small unit of family or friends, and to explore local things to do.?
