ONE OF the busiest holiday booking days of the year, Sunshine Saturday, has resulted in a record-breaking performance for Barrhead Travel.
The first Saturday of January – informally known as ‘Sunshine Saturday’ by the travel industry – is typically the most popular day of the year for travel bookings as people start planning their holidays.
After consecutive record-breaking weeks in January 2023, the group said they were anticipating “high demand” for this month’s trading. Bookings were up by 20 percent for the week compared with 2023, while Sunshine Saturday becoming the agency’s highest ever day of sales.
Summer 2024 has been the most popular booking season as families look to lock-in school holiday dates. The Glasgow-headquartered agency say that, as well as the usual family favourites such as Tenerife, Mallorca, and Turkey, longhaul destinations such as Canada, Dubai and Barbados have been amongst the top places booked this week.
Cruise continues to appeal to Barrhead Travel’s customers with departures from Southampton and Miami coming in as the most popular ports.
Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel, said:
“We’re only one week into January but it is clear that people have got one thing on their mind this year – booking holidays.
“Since we returned on 2nd January, phones have been ringing non-stop and footfall in-store has been high. I’m delighted to report that our first week has also seen a new record-breaking sales day with Sunshine Saturday outperforming all our record days last year.
“I always think the start of the year sets the tone for what to expect over the coming 12 months. Despite ongoing consumer spending pressures, it is apparent that holidays will remain a priority for most.
“People are planning well ahead and taking advantage of the January sales as well as low deposit and pay-monthly options.”
Barrhead Travel’s retail network is open seven days a week until late as well as offering evening support through their online service, call centres and social media channels. Find your nearest Barrhead Travel store by visiting https://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/storelocator
