Travel agent reports booking surge following PM’s roadmap broadcast

Huddersfield-based travel agent Jetset Not Just Travel has seen a surge in bookings and interest in holidays abroad since Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement setting out his roadmap out of lockdown.

Within minutes of the broadcast ending Colman and Rachael Coyne, who run the travel agency, say they began fielding calls.

Three holiday bookings were made last night alone, two to Cyprus and one to Tenerife and today (22 February) the couple have been dealing with multiple enquiries for people wanting to jet off to destinations including Dubai, the Caribbean and Turkey.

Colman Coyne said. “A lot of people are going to be booking for Europe from July onwards. We’re predicting that the Canary Islands, Greece and Bulgaria are going to be particularly popular.”

The scramble for holidays over the last 24 hours is a far cry from the previous 12 months for the couple, who have dealt with ongoing problems affecting the travel industry during the pandemic.

“I was at my lowest ebb about two weeks ago,” Rachael Coyne said. “I just felt like I couldn’t go on cancelling people’s holidays anymore and not knowing when the situation would change.

“We’ve got some fantastic customers who have been understanding and supportive throughout and now they are back in touch with us wanting to book their next break. People are feeling confident again and we hope that momentum stays.”

Along with people looking to book their summer getaway this year, the business has also seen an increase in bookings for 2022.

Colman said: “We’re already booking cruises, European destinations and long haul for 2022. We’re advising people to book now for next year because 90% of the prices at the moment are very good.

“Once everything gets going again those prices are bound to increase and there will also likely be capacity issues.”