Cruising towards a busy future for travel agents

Irish holidaymakers are spending more on their trips and booking earlier — with cruise holidays tipped to be the biggest travel trend for 2017.

Camping breaks, cycling trips, and theme park holidays are also popular choices for the upcoming year, according to a new survey from the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA).

“The increasing growth of the travel sector is allowing travel agents to include more luxury holidays and niche products,” said ITAA president Cormac Meehan.

“We are seeing more and more holidaymakers turning to travel agents for cruises, adventure breaks and bucket list trips, as well as tried and tested destinations like Spain and Portugal.”

With more people deciding to plan bucket list trips, one advantage of using a travel agent is that they can help organise it, says Mr Meehan.

Trips starting from cities such as Barcelona, Athens or Rome travelling along the Mediterranean are the most popular cruise destinations, according to Mr Meehan.

“River cruising” has also grown in popularity over the last year; for example holidaymakers can start their trip in Amsterdam and sail along the Rhine, stopping off in German towns along the way, he added.

Some 72% of ITAA travel agencies reported increased turnover between July to September this year compared to the same months in 2015; a fifth of all ITAA members surveyed reported that their turnover had increased by more than 20% this year, the survey found. About 60% of members reported that offline business increased between July and September compared to the same time last year.

The survey also found that repeat customers make up the majority of ITAA members’ business, with nearly half of respondents saying returning customers make up 60% of bookings. Between €1,000 and €2,000 is the most common amount spent on holidays by families in 2016, according to the survey. The survey also found Spain, Portugal and the US are the top three destinations for trips this winter, for the second year in a row.