Value deals, low deposits and flexible payment plans will be key to securing forward sales this autumn as economic uncertainty continues to drive “very late” bookings, according to bosses of leading travel firms.
Tour operators and travel agents at Travel Weekly’s Future of Travel Conference last week cited strong demand and bookings for winter and next summer, but said “tough” summer trading looked set to continue.
The bosses of Tui and easyJet holidays highlighted hesitancy among some consumers, particularly in the “middle market”, ahead of the government’s Budget in November.
“People are facing economic headwinds,” said Tui UK and Ireland managing director Neil Swanson. “The later Budget (on November 26) is critical. We all know that’s breeding uncertainty.”
Swanson said traditional “price levers” would be used to drive sales and called on the government to support businesses in the Budget.
“You need to know your costs aren’t going to go up. Customers need to be confident booking well ahead and that’s not quite there at the moment,” he said, adding Tui was just over 30% sold for this winter, while its 2027 summer programme is due to go on sale next month.
Customers who had booked already knew “exactly what they wanted” and were less price‑conscious, he added.
EasyJet holidays chief executive Garry Wilson agreed, saying: “Those with money are still spending. That middle market is just waiting and looking and holding off a little bit.”
Having the right messages in the market would be vital, he said, adding: “The big one is the value message. Trading will continue to be tough, but the demand is there if you get the price and product right.”
Both companies stressed they had no plans to follow Jet2’s decision to revise winter capacity and cited strong winter bookings, particularly for city breaks, Egypt and the Canaries.
“I’d expect growth to continue,” said Wilson, adding: “The really early market through agents is [also] still very strong so the popular hotels and destinations will still fill up quickly.”
Premier Travel managing director Paul Waters said the retailer’s 2026 sales were already 11% up as staff focused on early sales and worked harder to offer more flexible or competitively priced options.
“We target customers when they get back from their holiday,” he said, noting: “They may want a monthly payment option, so we’ve trained our staff to think a little differently.”
Hays Travel owner Dame Irene Hays revealed this summer had been “much more difficult” than in recent years but said a focus on long-haul and cruise sales was securing higher‑value forward business.
“We’re incredibly well-sold for 2026 and 2027 for both cruise and long-haul and that’s where we want to be,” she said. “The forwards [sales] since we have pivoted to long-haul and cruise are much better.”
Dnata Travel Group UK chief executive Lesley Rollo said: “Where we have struggled most is our short-haul business. Travel Republic is traditionally more short-haul focused, but we have pivoted over the last few years to be much more of a long-haul OTA specialist and that continues to really grow.”
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines chief executive Samantha Stimpson said 2026 customer numbers were 60% up year on year despite the operator launching its programmes later than competitors, adding: “The market has switched to be late and it has played in our favour.”