Multi-generation family holidays and Hollywood A-lister Russell Crowe are helping fuel a record boom in sales for a North Wales and the North West travel agency.
Wrexham-based Hays Travel North West have reported that sales are up 30 per cent so far this month as sun-starved holidaymakers jet off around the world.
Turkey is now their number one Mediterranean destination for the award-winning agency after Gladiator star Russell Crowe, whose family hail from Wrexham, took to Twitter to sing its praises.
And many of the holidays being sold by Hays Travel North West’s 44 shops across the region are bucket list trips to exotic and luxury destinations as granny and grandad dip into their savings to treat their families.
Demand has never been so high at the Wrexham-based agency which has shops in Rhyl, Prestatyn, Colwyn Bay, Connah’s Quay, Flint and Mold as well as across Merseyside, Greater Manchester, the Wirral, Lancashire, Cheshire and into the West Midlands.
Don Bircham, Managing Director of Hays Travel North West, said: “One couple have spent over £40,000 to take the whole family away and we’ve had a number of sales worth £25,000-plus.
“These high value bookings to quality destinations are often being funded by grandparents who want to share a holiday with their sons and daughters and their children.
“They’re still fit and healthy and probably thinking they’d rather spend it on a once-in-a-lifetime experience they can enjoy together with their whole family than possibly seeing it go on care home fees in a few years time.
“Luxury holidays in Florida are one of the most popular along with destinations like the Maldives, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand and on the longer haul flights many are upgrading from economy to business class.
“But the whole industry is really taking off again. People have had to stay at home for the last two years because of the pandemic and now they’re keen to travel again.
“Cruise is bouncing back strongly and we’ve got lots of great value late dea;ls and family packages
“This August has been phenomenally busy with all the usual hotspots in high demand but the most popular this year has been Turkey which has so much to offer beyond a beach holiday and where the Turkish lira offers such fantastic value as well.”
Earlier this summer there were reports of problems at major airports with delays caused by a shortage of baggage-handling staff but Don, a regular flier, said these issues have been mainly resolved now.
Queues are down and demand is up and Don, who lives in Padeswood and opened his first shop in Mold in 2000, added: “Airports have been able to recruit and any shortages have largely been resolved now and our customers, the majority of whom fly from Manchester, are reporting few issues.
“Liverpool John Lennon Airport has in fact been a shining star among airports with very little disruption or inconvenience for customers.
“We’re expecting it to stay busy through September and October when couples like to go away and then we’re expecting another boom in January when the cold weather and long dark nights get people thinking about sunshine again.”
Don’s Hays Travel North West is now the main partner of the hugely successful Hays Travel, based in Sunderland, the UK’s largest independent travel agency.
Don said: “Hays Travel, which is ATOL-protected and a Jet2 Holidays award-winning agency, is a well-recognised, solid and respected brand. Through Hays Travel we are able to offer a brilliant choice of holidays and we are not aligned to any particular tour operator so we can sell a wide range of holidays which fit the customer’s requirements.
“There is absolutely no pressure on our staff to sell a particular type of holiday so our customers come in and receive impartial advice without a particular emphasis on one tour operator. I think this is one of the main reasons people choose our branches to book their holidays.”
