TORONTO — It’s less a question of what’s selling well for the holiday break, than what’s not selling well.
Because just like every other travel product this year, December getaways booked up strong and early, say agents.
The good news is, there’s always some space left for last-minute bookers making the mad dash for sun and sand over the holiday season.
The not-so-good news, for some clients? With barely over a month to go, flexibility with dates and resorts is a must.
“We have many packages quickly booking up for the busy holiday season, including in Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, but there are still some pockets of space left for those looking to book last minute, for instance in Cancun where customers can still find some good deals for properties ranging from family-friendly to adults only resorts. But we encourage Canadians to book quickly to make sure they can secure their preferred resort at a great price before they book up,” says Sunwing’s Melanie Anne Filipp, Senior Director, Corporate Communications.
Travelweek reached out to travel advisors to find out what they’re hearing from clients as the booking window for holiday travel gets down to the wire.
“Super overwhelmed”, in a good way, is how Sandy Willett describes it. The Waterloo, ON-based Direct Travel advisor says an already busy year just got busier with the fall months. While most of Willett’s clients have already booked, her agency is still getting some inquiries for December/holiday travel. “Everything really – lots of south packages, cruises and airfare to visit family. We are having issues getting space for people that are calling now.”
Are clients more price-conscious? “Our customers are definitely spending more still,” says Willett. “The pent up demand is still real and people are willing to pay more than usual to get away again. Big ticket items ARE coming back – especially with more luxury and longer cruises and high end resorts and room categories.”
She adds: “We are having a difficult time keeping up but it is worth it after two years of nothing!”
Jennifer McPherson with Turnkey Travel – Travel Only in Brantford, ON, says bookings are still rolling in “so the ‘revenge travel’ is perhaps just transitioned into normal busy levels.” She tells Travelweek that so far, inflation concerns haven’t been a factor for her clients. “I had tons of Europe for the summer. Over Christmas, it’s mostly multi-gen families doing all-inclusives and then lots of Baby Boomers looking for warmer getaways (Portugal long stays, longer cruises) over the winter months.”
Not every client is throwing caution to the wind when it comes to booking getaways amid economic concerns. Ayesha Patel, a travel consultant with The Travel Agent Next Door, says: “Families are tightening their budget and they’re being more strict than usual about sticking to it if the pricing doesn’t fall within their request. When they are a family of four or five, costs add up and travelling through the holiday season already has a premium, so clients are reconsidering traveling at all if it’s beyond their budget.”
She adds: “Airfares have come down to a few destinations and that has helped to some degree, but when you factor in the high cost of living now, clients are holding off that big vacation because [for some] mortgage payments have almost doubled. I’m seeing clients taking a wait-and-see approach to booking higher-priced vacations. Hopefully, interest rates and the cost of living will come down and we will see a more balanced approach towards booking travel.”
For those families that really want to go away and have some leeway in their budget, “they are travelling before the holiday season hits to take advantage of lower prices to destinations like the U.S. or an all-inclusive vacation to the Caribbean,” says Patel.
