'Sunshine Saturday' was a trailblazing record breaker for Falkirk travel agent

After consecutive record-breaking weeks in 2023, the travel agents, which has a branch on Falkirk High Street, has reported the first Saturday of January – informally known as “Sunshine Saturday” by the travel industry – has proved to be the best day ever for the company in terms of sales, with bookings up by 20 percent for the week compared with last year.

Summer 2024 has been the most popular booking season as families look to lock-in school holiday dates. As well as the usual family favourites such as Tenerife, Mallorca, and Turkey, long haul destinations such as Canada, Dubai and Barbados have been among the top places booked so far.

Cruise continues to appeal to Barrhead Travel’s customers with departures from Southampton and Miami coming in as the most popular ports.

Jacqueline Dobson, Barrhead Travel president, said: “We’re only one week into January but it is clear that people have got one thing on their mind this year – booking holidays.

“Since we returned on January 2, phones have been ringing non-stop and footfall in-store has been high. I’m delighted to report that our first week has also seen a new record-breaking sales day with Sunshine Saturday outperforming all our record days last year.

“I always think the start of the year sets the tone for what to expect over the coming 12 months. Despite ongoing consumer spending pressures, it is apparent that holidays will remain a priority for most.”