The Travel Network Group’s homeworking arm has reported its strongest January since the company began trading, achieving 19% over its sales target for the month.
It said its sales figure for the Independent Travel Experts (ITE) was up 45% up year on year, while the number of bookings was up 31%.
ITE Managing Director Gary Gillespie said the record performance was achieved despite a slower-than-expected start to the month, following a surge in bookings from 21 to 29 January, especially from Thursday to Sunday of that week, which coincided with payday.
Spain accounted for 28% of the bookings, primarily driven by demand for summer 2025 travel, while cruise bookings represented 13% of sales across all seasons, and US travel remained steady.
Gary added: ‘Mainstream tour operators continued to account for the largest share of our bookings, but niche suppliers enjoyed increased sales, and dynamic packaging – particularly for the US – performed strongly.
“The recent payday effect is expected to be reinforced by a potential interest rate cut; if rates do fall, discretionary spending may rise, further bolstering the travel sector in the coming months.
“This has been ITE’s best January on record, and the exceptional service provided by our talented homeworkers has played a significant role.
“Overall, we are optimistic about continued momentum as we move further into 2025.”
