Travel agents hoping there’s a light at the end of the tunnel
HOLIDAYS MAY be off the agenda for most people this year, but travel agents in Calderdale are confident next year will see a surge in bookings.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused havoc for the tourism industry, with travel agents seeing profits decimated by disruption to holidaymakers’ plans.
But while they admit the current situation is an unprecedented challenge for the sector, they are confident things will improve next year.
Karen Bancroft, from Keir Woodward Travel in Elland, said: “Everybody is finding it
There’s a lot of interest in next year, which is where we’ve got to focus our attention
tough, everything we do revolves around travel so with all the barriers because of COVID-19, it affects travel agencies every way.
“It’s a big change to the standard day-to-day operation. What we’re here for is to advise, rebook and assist clients as best we can, which we’ve done from day one. We’ve always been available on the phone, I’ve been in the office the majority of the time, and we’ve had a presence on the high street so people know we are here, and we’re happy to help.
“We’ve also offered to help people who haven’t booked with us because we know there are people out there that don’t know which way to turn, so it’s nice to be able to go to someone who can give them that extra bit of confidence and correct information.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding people’s holiday plans, Karen says the demand for holidaying in this country is huge.
“I’ve got no doubt it will push people this summer towards
UK breaks, which is quite understandable, because at least you know where you are with that.
“There’s no certainty with overseas travel for the next couple of months. We’re hoping it will change but we just wait for the updates to come through and act accordingly.
“Moving forward, there’s a lot of interest in next year, which is where we’ve got to focus our attention.
“A lot of people have already booked for next year, and a lot of people already have those holidays paid for. A lot of people are travel orientated and on the top of their list of priorities is travel, so for people like that, it’s a big wide world out there, and when it opens up, it’s going to be really exciting. We’ve just got to get past this hurdle and then people will then hopefully start looking at planning trips for next year, because it’s going to be a very busy year.”
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