Posted 15 January 2018
‘Blue Monday’ is dubbed to be the most depressing day of the year. Typically occurring on the third Monday of each year, it is said to be the end of the post-Christmas good spirits, with many people already struggling to keep New Year’s resolutions and increasing debt levels.
With the busiest booking month in the industry well underway, it looks like consumers are set to blow away the January blues by organising their sun-kissed getaways. As a result, it is anticipated that bookings on so-called ‘Blue Monday’ will increase by 16% this year.
Following the best-ever day for sales and commission in our history on Friday, achieving an incredible £3.6 million in sales, today is set to be the busiest Monday of the year for bookings. In particular, data shows significant rises on Christmas and October half term bookings (up 36% and 34% respectively), as families look to plan ahead for their 2018 holidays.
This surge in demand follows strong growth figures, with sales for January already up 12% compared to 2017. Last year, the value of our bookings topped £48 million for the first time ever, and we’re heading towards another phenomenal month this year demonstrating once again that we’re the best in the industry for travel homeworking.
This is fantastic news for our Travel Counsellors who are earning more than ever before, with hundreds on track to celebrate their best month for their individual businesses. As a company we don’t have high street stores or online booking engines. We don’t compete with our franchisees. We focus purely on supporting them so they can focus on delivering the best levels of service to their customers and building hugely successful businesses. And the results speak for themselves.
During the peak booking season, we have been offering more support than ever before to our 1,700 franchisees globally, including additional marketing ‘toolkits’ to maximise opportunities to generate new enquiries from new and existing customers; a dedicated sales hotline to assist with closing sales, adding value to bookings and follow-up with enquiries; and a ‘Price Promise’ team to help Travel Counsellors ensure they are securing the best possible price using our in-house booking system, Phenix. As a result of the additional support, they are able to focus on providing the very best service and care to their customers.
As we continue to go from strength to strength every year, there really are no limits to what our Travel Counsellors can achieve. Are you ready to start reaping the rewards of our continued collective success?
Take a look at this short clip from one of our recent 'TCTV' shows, where Travel Counsellor Bob Peters shared how the peak booking month of January is going for him and how it compares to his previous job.