Central England Co-op Travel seeing surge in new year holiday bookings with holidaymakers looking for ‘Instagram moments’
Posted by james brindle | Published: 25/01/2019
Central England Co-op Travel is reporting a surge in demand from customers since the new year, with the desire to capture special memories for ‘Instagram moments’ one of the major trends for 2019.
January and February are traditionally peak months for holiday bookings and Central England Co-op Travel’s 26 branches have been particularly busy so far this year with holidaymakers keen to utilise the trusted travel experts to meet more tailored, personal requirements rather than a standard summer holiday destination.
Paul Dale, Head of Specialist Business at Central England Co-op, said: “We are increasingly seeing customers coming into our branches with inspirational pictures someone has posted on social media of a particular destination or hotel and saying to us ‘that’s where I want to go’.
“The customer is a lot more informed now – a few years ago customers would come in and say they wanted to go somewhere hot for two weeks. However, customers are increasingly looking for life experiences and memories, those ‘Instagram moments’.
“We are ideally placed to cater for these clients as being an independent travel business we can access such a wide-range of holidays to create bespoke experiences for every customer to suit their varying needs.”
ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) has recently released its 2019 Travel Trends Report and one of the key trends its research has highlighted for this year is the resurgence of the trusted travel expert.
Paul said: “In an age of limitless choice and information, the personal, tailored and expert travel advice that Central England Co-op Travel provides is becoming increasingly highly valued.
“With the current climate of uncertainty, we are also finding that the protection and security of a trusted brand, which is ABTA accredited and ATOL protected, is also of significant importance for customers.”
Last year Central England Co-op Travel was named Best High Street Agency Central England including East Anglia at the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers conference and the agency group is seeing a boom in touring holiday bookings, particularly among the over 50s. Cruises are also becoming more and more popular among customers.
Paul added: “We are finding that over 50s are increasingly turning to touring as they are looking to find like-minded friends for life, and touring is a perfect way to do this.
“This is also true for cruises, but the growing popularity of cruises really does cover all ages, with the image of cruising changing – it is not about black ties and dinner dresses so much anymore. There are lots more relaxed, informal cruises catering for all tastes and aspirations”
Find out more about the very latest Travel offers by visiting https://www.centralengland.coop/travel/offers
Notes to editors
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.
It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, and property investment.
Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2019.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop