Sunshine Saturday served up mixed results for travel agents, with some saying it was the busiest they’d ever seen and others expressing disappointment.
A Travel Gossip Facebook poll revealed that 49% of agents found that the first week of the peak booking period, ending on Sunshine Saturday, was ‘slower than expected’.
However, a third of agents said it was ‘great’, 9% said they’d had ‘a record start to the year’, and a further 9% agreed that it was ‘good’.
Richard Lowrey-Heywood, Brand Manager of Seaside Travel, which is gearing up to open its 11th store on Friday, in Bishop Auckland, said business has been ‘non-stop’.
“We have been absolutely flying across the shops and this has been from a mix of social media and walk ins,” he said.
“We did some social media in the lead up to Christmas, which has helped. We had our biggest trading day ever on Saturday, and that’s taking into account the new shops we have added. It’s definitely got that ‘grab a coffee at 9am because that’s all you’ll get’ feel.”
Kelly Baldwin of Aspire Travel, which is part of Not Just Travel (NJT), said she was busy taking bookings during the company’s annual conference in Wolverhampton this weekend.
“We were sitting on our laptops taking bookings during the breaks and the girls in the office were also getting lots of walk ins. We did 15 bookings on Saturday alone,” she said.
Not Just Travel Co-Founder Steve Witt added: “This weekend has not only been Sunshine Saturday but also Scorching Sunday as interestingly, this year despite hundreds of consultants attending our annual conference, Sunday was still the clear winner, being 46% up on last year.
“Summer 2025 is strongest and amounts to 41% of our sales, but also winter 2025 is very strong with 40.8% of sales.”
Shona Thorne, MD of Ayrshire-based Thorne Travel said staff worked late on Saturday, Sunday and Monday to get bookings over the line, adding that it was ‘an amazing weekend’.
Janine Marshall, founder of the JLT Group, agreed sales had been strong since 2 January, with its 300-plus homeworkers taking £210,000 of bookings from 2 to 4 January.
Annika Nickson, owner of NJT agency Nickson Travel said she felt that peaks had kicked off on Saturday and the surrounding days. “I’ve had a sudden influx of people contacting me saying ‘now Christmas and new year are out the way thoughts are turning to our holidays.’
“I’ve not been absolutely rushed off my feet just yet, but it is definitely a sudden shift in gears.”
However, Joanna Black, owner of Creative Travel in County Grangemouth, Scotland, warned higher prices seemed to be a booking deterrent. She said that while she was busy with walk-ins on Saturday, 70% of customers said they wouldn’t be able to pay the deposit for a few more weeks.
Joanna said one of her ‘high-end’ regular business traveller to Australia told her she wasn’t going this year because the cost is much higher. “Another high-end client didn’t want to confirm a Newmarket tour for £9,000 as he could do three European holidays for the same price. So, even clients with money are being careful and particular about what they are spending and how at the moment.”
Vicky Yates-McCowan, co-founder of LV Prestige Travel said the small homeworking group had taken only a ‘handful’ of bookings, although December had been ‘busier than usual’. “We’re hoping things will improve throughout January,” she added.
Graeme Brett of Westoe Travel in South Shields said: “I wish we could drop the Sunshine Saturday nonsense. It goes back to when weekly paid workers got their first pay packet of the year and rushed to book their summer holiday which had gone on sale on Boxing Day.
“Now with most people paid monthly and holidays on sale up to two years in advance it is no longer a special day. We should be promoting the whole of January as a sales bonanza for customers.”
Some agencies say they will have a better picture of how sales are doing next weekend, after a full week of business post-Christmas and New Year.
A Hays Travel spokesperson said: “For us, Sunshine Saturday is traditionally the first one after schools re-open, so 11 January this year.
“At this very early point in January, we are seeing year-on-year trading up by over 20%, although weekend transport cancellations resulted in a mixed picture across the country.
“Indications are that people are still prioritising travel and want to plan and book their holiday now – to make the most of the great deals on offer and to have something to look forward to in these colder months.”
Barrhead Travel Managing Director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell added: “With Christmas and New Year falling mid-week, the first full week of trading is slightly later this year. Despite parts of the UK experiencing severe weather over the last few days, we had a stronger start to the year than anticipated.
“Most people are now back to work and school, and we are gearing up for a very busy week ahead. Initial booking habits are showing that people are clearly prioritising summer holidays, with family favourites like Tenerife, Lanzarote and Mallorca amongst the most popular trips booked so far.
“After ending 2024 with another record-breaking year under our belts, we’re optimistic that 2025 will bring sustained demand for travel booked with reputable travel agents.”
Baldwins Travel Marketing Manager Tricia Lester added: “Sunshine Saturday we always consider is 11 January however, the start of January is trading 10% up on 2024, so a good positive start to 2025. Our TOY marketing campaign kicks in this week which will further enhance sales.”
