Travel trade suffers as families opted for staycations in sunny 2013

Last summer’s sun prompted many more families to opt for a staycation, according to the Irish Travel Agents’ Association, who say 40% of its members reported a drop in trade.

ITAA said it came as no surprise, after several dreary summers in a row, that people decided to holiday at home. While 40% of its members saw a drop in trade, 36% reported a small percentage increase in turnover.

However, the association is forecasting that the situation will improve this year as families seek out the traditional sun spots.

ITAA reported that optimism was high amongst its members in relation to the coming year, with 88% of travel agents expecting an increase in turnover in comparison to 2013.

Approximately 8% of ITAA members expect business will remain at last year’s level and just 4% are expecting a downturn.

They say Turkey offered the best value last year, followed by mainland Spain and the Canary Islands.

ITAA expects Spain will top the list as the most popular 2014 destination, followed by Portugal, Turkey, and the US.

The association’s internal survey also found loyalty to ITAA travel agents remains strong with, on average, 52% of business coming from repeat customers.

ITAA chief executive Pat Dawson said he wasn’t surprised that overall 2013 saw a drop in turnover for many travel agents. “It mirrors the discussions I have been having with our members. The unusually good weather during the summer unsurprisingly had a negative effect on the numbers travelling abroad looking for sun.”

He said he was pleased to see confidence returning for the coming year. “Already January has been a strong month with a high level of enquiries and bookings and our members are seeing trends emerge for 2014, including high interest in family camping holidays to France, Mediterranean cruises and Icelandic Northern Lights experiences,” Mr Dawson said.