By July, Beachcomber Tours had already reached sales of 70% for its best December ever.
This was according to Beachcomber Tours MD, Terry Munro, who recommended that travel consultants start to encourage potential clients to book ASAP.
“December bookings are booming, which is the great news, but on the other side of the coin the hotels in Mauritius are filling up quickly and late bookings will not be confirmed like in the past. There is a worldwide tidal wave of demand for travel in Europe and their airports have battled to keep up with the numbers of arrivals during this European summer. This pent-up demand is also happening for Mauritius from Europe and the Mauritius summer will create the added demand.”
He told Travel News that Beachcomber Tours’ bookings on hand were more than double that of pre-COVID-19 forward bookings over the same period.
“You snooze, you lose, will be the order of the day. The added problem for agents is that they are so busy right now, they don’t want the extra work. I suggest creating December sales now and taking November off, as your pots will be full!”
Beachcomber Tours Sales and Marketing Director, Joanne Visagie, agreed that it would be a challenge to find flights and accommodation later in the year. “We know you are hectically busy and possibly short staffed in addition to the worldwide challenges and frustrations. We really feel for you. We are here for you and happy to assist in any way possible to help you close those sales effectively, resulting in ease in your dealings and happy clients.”
Visagie said tour operators selling holidays to Mauritius had been buying loads of seats in advance for key travel dates to ensure clients could get to Mauritius, as airlines were cautious to add extra flights to current schedules. “This has helped tremendously to get more seats for this destination.”
At the time of writing, there were now only 12 flights a week to Mauritius instead of the pre-COVID number of 21 flights per week, she said. “We encourage travel agents to get their clients to book early, as this will also assist us in the sense that if we need extra flights, we can get them added well in advance. This is a year of big ‘comeback’ and an amazing surge of demand after the pandemic drought. Demand is way, way more than we have seen before – exciting times!”
She said that while there was a lot of pain at the moment in terms of logistics, travel consultants should bat cleverly by selling productive destinations with no restrictions.
Check for updates
Independent business travel adviser and founder of Merrill’s Travel Company, Merrill Isherwood, agreed that since current demand outweighed supply, it was imperative for the travel trade to emphasise the importance of planning and booking trips well in advance, wherever possible.
“This is especially true with regard to domestic air travel. The fuel price has led to an increase in airfares, making it even more important to plan trips early and take advantage of lower fare classes.”
She said car-rental and transfer providers were also largely under-resourced (vehicles and staff) due to downsizing during the pandemic or the closure of smaller suppliers.
“TMCs and corporate travel buyers must also check that smaller accommodation establishments previously supported are still open for business, that their accommodation programme supplier lists are updated, and that all suppliers’ health protocols are compliant with the relevant country’s health regulations. All suppliers and service providers must have channels to provide clear communication to customers on what is available, when and at what cost.”
Thompsons Holidays CEO, Joanne Adolphe, said last-minute travel requests continued and they did not see this changing.
Reiterating Isherwood’s point, she said Thompsons would continue to inspect the properties offered to ensure they were of the required standard. “Many properties and destinations were mothballed due to the pandemic and it’s important to offer the correct advice to our travel partners to ensure the holiday experience matches the client’s requirements.”
In addition, said Isherwood, should travellers expect travel businesses to be running as they were pre-pandemic, they should realise it would not be advisable to arrive randomly at a supplier expecting there to be availability, as they would be sorely disappointed. “Planning is key to a successful trip now.”
