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Less than two weeks into 2015, travel agents are gearing up for what they believe could, for many, be a record year.
For some, the tail end of 2014 set the stage for the positive 2015 outlook. "I started getting super busy right after Thanksgiving and haven't stopped," said Judy Nidetz of Travel Experts in Chicago. "The strangest part about this is that usually it's slow over the holidays because people are celebrating with families or already on trips."
Nidetz has already completed a number of bookings for 2016 holiday travel, along with a variety of other types of vacations for this year. "I've had many families booking European vacations for this summer, several last-minute trips over the next couple of months to warm-weather destinations and a 40th birthday trip for about 30 people to Mexico at the end of April," she said. "It's been totally crazy."
At VIP Vacations, which specializes in wedding and honeymoon travel, booking activity picked up the day after Christmas. "We were slammed more so than years prior," said Jennifer Doncsecz, president of the agency, which specializes in honeymoon and destination weddings. "Normally the phones start ringing nonstop around January 2 or 3, so this was about one week earlier."
Claire Schoeder of Century Travel in Atlanta also saw some healthy booking activity, capturing two extremely profitable last-minute holiday vacations. "Both families simply decided that they did not want to spend the holiday season at home and wanted to go somewhere different," she said. "Both were big last-minute trips to Europe. Neither family wanted beach vacations, they just wanted to be somewhere different."
[BLURB]"This year, more than four separate people were emailing from their current vacations to book them for next year... They couldn't wait until they got home to contact me."- Judy Nidetz, Travel Experts[/BLURB]
Generally speaking, though, agents said increasing numbers of their clients are booking significantly further out. "This year, more than four separate people were emailing from their current vacations to book them for next year," Nidetz said. "They couldn't wait until they got home to contact me."
Beth Baran recounted a similar anecdote. "On January 9, I've already had a call for a February 2016 family group, so I would say that people are booking further out," said Baran, owner of Travel Leaders locations in Mason, Ohio and Fort Thomas, Ky. "I would think this might be because air availability is very limited, especially when you want to travel during peak holiday time."
Baran said she and her agents have been advising clients for quite some time to book further out in order to obtain better rates and availability. "This is after years of the media telling people to wait until the last minute for specials," she said. "That just doesn't work anymore."
[BLURB]"Throughout the recession, from 2008 to 2012, travelers were able to wait until the last minute to book... That started to change in 2013, when people saw themselves getting locked out of things. By 2014, most people had learned their lesson."- Lia Batkin, In the Know Experiences[/BLURB]
For Lia Batkin, the trend toward booking further out began to take root in 2013. "Throughout the recession, from 2008 to 2012, travelers were able to wait until the last minute to book," said Batkin, co-founder of New York-based In the Know Experiences, a luxury boutique agency. "That started to change in 2013, when people saw themselves getting locked out of things. By 2014, most people had learned their lesson."
So far this month Batkin said she has already booked 15 sets of clients on holiday trips for next year. "The Monday after the holidays, Jan. 5, I got over 40 booking requests that day," she said, adding that prospective travelers are looking for bigger and better vacations this year and next. "We booked one client for a month's stay at Montage Laguna in California over the summer."
This year is also shaping up nicely for Century Travel's Schoeder, who specializes in England and Scotland. "I'm booking a lot of Europe - Scotland, of course, is big for me," she said. "But I'm also booking river cruises and FITs to Europe, and India is doing well for me this year as well."
For this winter, Schoeder said Caribbean cruises are selling briskly, as are Puerto Rico's luxury resorts, including the St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Condado Vanderbilt. "The biggest demand I have is for the luxury cruise market and then the premium market," she said. "The Caribbean is, of course, the most in demand at this time of year, though I do have some people booked on Australia and New Zealand cruises."
Nidetz is also reporting strong bookings to Europe, and is selling cruises well into 2016. For this year's winter months, she said booking volume is heaviest in Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii.
VIP's Doncsecz, whose agency is aiming to achieve a growth rate of 20 percent this year over last, said Norwegian's cruise departures from New York are proving popular, particularly with residents of the Northeast hoping to avoid air travel.
"Barbados and the opening of the new Sandals Resort are big as is Costa Rica and the new Dreams resort," she said. "Thailand is also trending as one of the best exotic honeymoon locations."
Last but not least, Mexico continues to sell briskly, Doncsecz said. "There are always good deals to be found in the Riviera Maya."
In Mexico, Batkin of In the Know Experiences said her affluent younger clientele has been flocking to Tulum. "We probably get a request for Tulum every other day," she said. "It's like the hottest thing since sliced bread and the fashion community has really embraced it."
Other Mexican hotspots include Oaxaca and Huatulco. "People really love Mexico," Batkin said. "They love the food, it's a little bit more reasonably priced and the service is phenomenal."
Other big sellers this year are Nicaragua and Cartagena, Colombia, she said, adding that the agency is also seeing a big surge in clients looking for high-end fitness camp and yoga retreat vacations. "Close to home, Miami is also off the charts."
In the end, agents believe that the improved economy, lower gas prices and optimism on Wall Street are all spurring consumer interest in travel. "I also think with all the stress in the world right now, people are realizing it's a good idea to take more vacations for relaxation and enjoying time with loved ones," said Nidetz.
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