If Only’s Gordon McCreadie says trade must capitalise on interest now before price hikes
As we enter a new era for travel, the importance of securing forward bookings has never been more crucial. We know that prices in 2023 are only going to go up, and I’m not referring solely to travel. As we come out the other end of the pandemic and into the cost-of-living crisis, households’ disposable incomes are inevitably going to reduce and prices will inflate, which is why we need to do everything we can to capitalise on the demand now.
It’s key that we as an industry start to focus on securing as many bookings as possible for next year while demand is still strong and rates are more competitive, with greater availability, to give customers something to look forward to. We need to be clear in the messaging we are sending out to them that the best time to book for 2023 is now, before price inflation sets in, and restore customer confidence in travelling again.
At If Only, we are seeing bookings rise by 14% for 2023 versus this time in 2019 for travel in 2020. Luxury travel is a thriving industry, with many customers looking for that once-in-a-lifetime trip and adventure companies proving popular. Customers want to get out and experience more of the world after not being able to travel for so long, and the to-do list is longer than ever.
Targeted messaging
We are also seeing larger groups travelling together, from friendship groups to multigenerational families, with experts predicting that the luxury sector will be less impacted by the current economic challenges, and that customers are more likely to book early to get the perfect luxury break. We need to be clever with marketing strategies and target our messaging towards these groups.
We are also seeing a shift towards all-inclusive holidays: 56% of our overall beach bookings for 2022 have been all-inclusive, with destinations such as the Maldives being 96% all-inclusive. We believe the rationale behind this is that luxury properties across the world have increased their all-inclusive offering, and resorts that didn’t previously have high-end all-inclusive options are now offering them. Not only that, but customers are willing to pay extra to treat themselves post-pandemic.
Our travellers expect a premier experience and won’t settle for anything less, and that’s where we believe agents can provide something extra with their service and added value. Luxury customers are willing to pay for this type of experience.
Staying in touch
The luxury travel sector is fierce and we believe agents should start looking closely at the service and support they receive as opposed to settling on price, particularly with a luxury enquiry. Our field sales team has maintained regular contact with all key accounts and has spent time on the road, alongside an extensive schedule of online training, events and agent Zoom evenings. This has proved popular, with more than 170 agents attending our webinars.
In the January and February peaks, our team, which was three-strong at the time, visited more than 1,000 high street agents and homeworkers.
This demonstrated our dedication to the trade, and we will continue to help and support our agent partners as much as we can. We are always looking for new initiatives around how we interact with our agents to ensure that they are receiving everything they need from us.
We will continue to do this because we strongly believe 2023 can be a bumper year for sales, and because we feel that we are stronger together and couldn’t be where we are without our agent partners. That is exactly why we have expanded our team, and added a further two employees to our amazing on-the-road sales team, to help further grow luxury sales in partnership with our agents in 2023 and beyond.
Hopefully it’s now time for travel to finally catch a break as we look forward to next year. Together, we will make travel beautiful again.