The travel agency group, which will celebrate its 50th year in business during 2025, reports consistent monthly sales exceeding those of the previous year, attributing this success to sustained high demand for holidays and a focus on strategic growth. The shift towards early planning reflects a growing desire for customers to secure best availability as well as being able to spread the cost.

In 2024, the group invested in a series of store refurbs, as well as celebrating the launch of its second store in Northern Ireland earlier this month.

The group says it has also focussed on “sustainable growth” with the launch of new product divisions including a specialist USA division. Training and development were noted as priorities for the business with the launch of its new development academy, designed for upskilling its workforce and nurturing talent.

Top European destinations for 2024 included:

• Turkey
• Tenerife
• Mallorca
• Alicante
• Cruising from Southampton

Top longhaul destinations for 2024 included:

• New York
• Barbados
• Orlando
• Canada
• Dubai

Last-minute bookings were a notable feature of the group’s holiday sales as the poor summer weather encouraged spontaneous breaks. All inclusive holidays remained the number one holiday type while cruise bookings also grew in popularity – particularly river cruising where sales increased by 43 %.

Holiday duration was on the rise with breaks for 10 nights or longer accounting for more than 50% of bookings – something that the travel group says is reflective of people’s desire to make the most of their annual leave.

Jacqueline Dobson, president at Barrhead Travel, said: “2024 has been a year of growth for Barrhead Travel, with a focus on investing in our high street locations and our people.

“Across the country, spend on holidays is being ringfenced, and we see our customers taking more frequent and longer breaks. With multi-generational and group bookings on the rise, it’s clear that people are using their holidays to spend time with those who mean the most to them.

“As we look to the year ahead, we’re expecting another strong year for travel. We’ve made further investments in our product portfolio to ensure we can offer the most exciting experiences on the market with value-for-money at the forefront of our plans. We’re also doubling down on our commitment to our colleagues and our communities with further investments earmarked for training as well as potential new store openings.”