Jittery clients disrupt booking trends

WARINESS arising from
political and economic
instability in the country has
resulted in a general shift
toward later booking patterns,
operators report.
Moreover, South Africans
are losing out on early-bird
discounts to international
travellers who book well in
advance
Ramesh Jeenarain, md of
World Leisure Holidays, says
the company has noticed a
change in booking patterns
this year due to political and
economic uncertainties in
South Africa. December is an
important travel month for the
operator, which generates a
third of its total sales for this
period. “Last year we saw a
lot of uptake for December
bookings more than six
months out, while this year the
spread has been more even…
we are seeing a high demand
for Mauritian five-star family
resorts such as Sugar Beach
and Long Beach.”
Travellers are also booking
over the shoulder season to
realise savings. Says Flora
Fubbs, gm markets and
operations of The Holiday
Factory: “It is not the peak
season dates between
Christmas and New Year that
sell out first but the early
December and January dates,
as the package prices are so
much more affordable and
our school holidays are long
enough to allow for some
flexibility when it comes to
travel dates.”
John Ridler, pr and media
manager of Thompsons
Holidays, says while South
Africans are generally fairly
resilient travellers, the recent
large-scale attacks in Europe
have certainly shocked the
travelling population, although
no specific cancellations
were received due to terror
attacks. Turkey, however, has
now started to recover as a
destination. The increase in
security coupled with excellent
prices has resulted in a slow
increase in demand recently.
The Indian Ocean islands
remain the most popular
region for December holidaymakers.
According to a poll on
eTNW this month, over 40%
of agents reported that the
islands were most frequently
requested by clients, followed
in popularity by Asia, local
holidays and then European
trips.
Terry Munro, md of
Beachcomber Tours, says
forward bookings for the
period are currently level
with last year but that they
are expecting further sales
over the months to come,
resulting in another bumper
December.