Senior industry figures denounced the impasse on Brexit as “a shambles” this week, but insisted that they have seen no sign of an impact on bookings.
The government delayed putting its Brexit deal to a Parliamentary vote on Monday, extending uncertainty about the outcome in a move Princess Cruises UK vice-president Tony Roberts described as “hugely frustrating”.
On Wednesday morning, news broke that at least 48 Tory MPs sent letters of no confidence in Theresa May, triggering a vote on whether she should stay on as prime minister.
Paula Lacey, Advantage Travel Partnership group commercial and membership director, who joined Roberts at a Travel Weekly Business Breakfast, declared: “Politically, it’s a complete shambles.”
But Lacey said: “People are still booking. If you look at [analyst] GfK’s data and at our data, all seasons are up. What we’re seeing is people trade down in star rating or trade up to all-inclusive to manage their budget.”
Thomas Cook UK sales and e-commerce director Phil Gardner agreed, saying: “We’ve had a strong start to bookings for next year. We’ve got nothing in our numbers that suggests Brexit is a major issue. Of course there is concern, but it just doesn’t translate into a downturn in bookings at this stage. We need to make sure that doesn’t change. We’re well positioned for 2019, and it’s critical we hold onto that.”
Roberts, UK chairman of cruise association Clia, said: “There doesn’t appear to be any reluctance by consumers to book. We see a strong forward position for 2019. But we’re not complacent – we’re keen to make sure we underpin the summer 2019 season through January and February.”
He added: “A lot of cruise lines have 2020 product on sale [with] growth in their ex-UK business. There is a lot of confidence in the UK market beyond Brexit.”
Asked whether Thomas Cook would proceed with its planned January sales campaign, Gardner said: “One hundred per cent – people want to go on holiday.”
The comments came ahead of confirmation that prime minister Theresa May will face a vote of no confidence in her leadership later today.