Cruise holidays are continuing to appeal to Barrhead Travel’s customers, with departures from Southampton and Miami helping the Scottish agency group achieve a record-breaking Sunshine Saturday.

Sunshine Saturday, the first Saturday of the year when Brits flock to their local agents to book a much-needed holiday as temperatures plummet, is traditionally one of the biggest booking days of the year.

After consecutive record-breaking weeks in January 2023, Barrhead said it was anticipating “high demand” for this month’s trading. Bookings were up by 20% for the week compared with 2023, while Sunshine Saturday becoming the agency’s highest ever day of sales.

Summer 2024 has been the most popular booking season as families look to lock-in school holiday dates. The Glasgow-headquartered agency said that, as well as the usual family favourites such as Tenerife, Mallorca, and Turkey, long-haul destinations such as Canada, Dubai and Barbados have been amongst the top places booked this week.

Sunshine Saturday outperforms all 2023 booking days, says Barrhead president

Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, 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 2 January, 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. People are planning well ahead and taking advantage of the January sales as well as low deposit and pay-monthly options.”