Demand for Group Travel is on the Rise
Demand for group travel is on the rise.
Despite the strains of the ongoing pandemic, several organizations within the travel industry are reporting upticks in the amount of group bookings being made.
Transat, a Canadian airline, is one such organization.
“There is definitely a demand for groups,” Pat Brady, National Groups Director for Transat, told Travelweek recently. “We started seeing an increase in sales [for groups] back in late winter 2020, early spring 2021 for fall 2021 [and] winter 2022 departures.”
Transat is also seeing boosted demand for group trips in summer 2022 and winter 2023—specifically trips to Europe and warmer destinations down south. Destination weddings are also making a comeback.
“Summer 2022 demand includes Europe and South programs,” Brady said.
“Weddings continue to be a big portion of our sales,” Brady added. “Now many are planning for winter 2023 and summer 2023.”
Travel agents are also experiencing an increase in group bookings.
Kim Hartlen, a Halifax-based travel agent, specializes in group bookings, and is seeing an uptick in her business.
“Kim Hartlen Travel-hosted groups are doing very well and my first group is off to Beaches Turks & Caicos in October 2021,” Hartlen told Travelweek. “I have been personally hosting group travel for the last 14 years and each year I add on more groups. For 2022 I have three groups and the response has been amazing. People want to get back travelling and they want me to be there for them.”
This increase in demand for group travel is part of a larger, pent-up appetite for travel, spurred on by the impossibility of travel at the height of the pandemic.
Are you and your friends or family plotting a group trip for later this year or 2022?
