GLASGOW, Scotland (1 October 2021) – Barrhead Travel, one of the UK’s largest travel groups, has reported its largest increase in late bookings since pre-pandemic ahead of the significant changes to travel due to be implemented on Monday 4th October.

The changes will see the removal of pre-departure testing for fully vaccinated travellers and simplifies the Traffic Light system which will have just two travel categories – “Red” and “Rest of the World”.

The travel group, which has over 85 locations throughout the UK, say that confidence to travel is at its peak since March 2020 and say that good pricing on last-minute breaks is helping maintain confidence and boost bookings. Almost half of bookings in the last week are for departures in the next three months.

Turkey’s removal from the Red List has also prompted an increase in demand with the country making a return to the travel agency’s top five destinations this week. Other popular destinations for October getaways include Tenerife, Alicante and Majorca. The agency also reported a rise in bookings for US holidays since the confirmation that fully vaccinated UK citizens would be able to return for travel from November.

Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel, said the flurry of positive travel news over the last few weeks has encouraged customers to firm up long-awaited plans:

“We’re finally seeing the changes we need for travel to become more accessible, more affordable and easier to comprehend. In turn, our customers have responded by snapping up last-minute deals to escape and will finally be able to enjoy sunshine and downtime.

“With half-term approaching, most of our last-minute bookings are families – many of whom haven’t been able to enjoy a family holiday abroad since 2019. Pricing is excellent and the value-for-money on offer is very attractive, particularly for all-inclusive options or cruise holidays”.

Dobson said that the simplified approach to travel rules made a difference to customer confidence:

“Since travel reopened in early summer, the main concerns from a customer perspective were the complex rules and the cost of testing. We’ve come a long way since then and it is really pleasing to see a more practical approach taken to travel guidance which is finally making imminent travel more accessible.

“There’s still a lot of information to digest about travelling and holidaymakers are definitely appreciating the value of a trusted travel expert. We have very loyal customers who return to us time and time again at Barrhead Travel but we’re now also seeing new clients through the door who have never used a travel agent before. I think since the pandemic, people value their time and money more than ever which is why more travellers are turning to a reputable agent who can take care of all the details, provide robust advice on everything from travel guidance to destination information, and guarantee full financial protection on the booking.”

Barrhead Travel says its commitment to the high street remains steadfast and has recently welcomed two new stores in Halifax and Plymouth to its portfolio.

About Barrhead Travel

Since it was founded in 1975, Barrhead Travel has expanded from a traditional ‘bucket and spade’ travel agent to a multi-faceted travel group offering bespoke holidays to all corners of the globe, running an in-house training facility, employing specialist consultants providing expert advice in areas such as long haul, cruise and touring holidays, and promoting youth employment through its apprenticeship scheme. Its network of stores span across over 85 locations throughout the UK.

The company has won many awards over the years, the most recent including Best Touring and Adventure Travel Agency and has been named Best Travel Agency in Scotland for 20 years running. The Barrhead Travel Stress Free Guarantee means holidays are fully financially protected and offer customers extra peace of mind when holidaying abroad with access to 24/7 support services.

Barrhead Travel is a brand of Travel Leaders Group, a division of Internova Travel Group.

About Internova Travel Group

Internova Travel Group is one of the largest travel services companies in the world with a collection of leading brands delivering high-touch, personal travel expertise to leisure and corporate clients. Internova manages leisure, business and franchise firms through a portfolio of distinctive divisions. Internova represents more than 62,000 travel advisors in over 6,000 company-owned and affiliated locations predominantly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with a presence in more than 80 countries.