This represents a seventy percent increase in destination share from August 2019, which he believes is a strong indication that high-value domestic travel bookings, which became more in demand due to international border closures, are here to stay.
Gazal says Australian domestic travel is the second-most popular destination, accounting for seventeen percent of total sales for the month.
“In fact, August 2022 has been our best-ever August for total sales, and our ninth-highest for any month on record,” he adds.
“Three record-breaking months in quick succession mean that capacity for the rest of the year and into 2023 capacity is already looking very tight for many destinations,” Gazal notes. “We are advising customers who are considering their travel plans for next year to start putting bookings in place so as to avoid disappointment as we expect growth in demand to continue.”
“Destination-wise, we’re finding that customers are interested in various locations, with Europe at the top of the list at 33 percent of sales. According to Executive General Manager Michael Gazal, the average value of sales per personal travel manager (PTM) is up by 47 percent compared with the same month in pre-pandemic 2019.
“It’s the recovery I think the entire industry was waiting for, and I’m delighted to report that our PTMs are as passionate about selling travel as they ever were.” The United States and Canada together accounted for fourteen percent of August sales, and Asia another eleven percent.”
Gazal reports that sales in cruise, touring, and land products are all performing strongly, with increasing levels of growth in all three sectors.
May, June and August have entered the record books for TravelManagers as the home-based travel brand continues its strong post-Covid recovery.
