In a record month for the Lowcost Travel Group, trade-only bedbank Lowcostbeds booked 82,000 passengers and transfer service Resorthoppa 135,000.
The biggest growth area was forward bookings for travel in June, July and August, with both companies experiencing an increase of over 200% year-on-year.
Tim Buckman, Resorthoppa MD and Lowcostbeds sales director, said: ‘Forward sales have been a real success story so far this year, we put this down to the fact that we were one of the first bedbanks and transfer providers to get summer 2010 on sale, but moreover, this is further evidence that there is great value in dynamic packaging and that agents are no longer primarily just using dynamic packages for late sales.’
Lowcostbeds also experienced a 70% increase in the number of travel agents booking with it last month.
One such new account was Directline Holidays, whose chief executive, Maria Whiteman, commented: ‘We started working with lowcostbeds in January this year, their product and pricing has proved very popular with our customers and staff and we look forward to developing this new relationship.’
Buckman added: ‘Over the past five years we have built up a strong reputation with the trade and we are working with new agents every week.
‘Our price and service guarantees throughout January resulted in a significant uplift in new customers.’
See also:
Rossello-Palmer role to boost Lowcost Travel (22/01/2010)
Lowcost’s guarantee pays dividends (14/01/2010)
New MD for Resorthoppa (09/11/2009)
‘Flawless’ technology boosts Lowcost (02/11/2009)