Barrhead Travel to post record result as people 'book human'

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

Key events have included a change in ownership at Barrhead in 2018, which saw the family-owned company sell up to US-based Travel Leaders Group (now part of Internova Travel Group), and her own rise to the top of an organisation she joined as a trainee.
However, while the ubiquity of the internet means many people now book holidays online, Dobson said what has not changed is the appetite of consumers for advice from reputable travel agents.
'That demand is still there,' she told The Herald Business HQ Monthly. 'I think what has changed in the industry is definitely technology.
'Obviously, the internet was a huge thing back when it launched. Barrhead was one of the first agencies to adopt this. We launched our first website in 1999. When I first started you would phone operators and suppliers to book holidays. Now with the click of a button you have your flights there, your accommodation options, your cruise options. Everything is a lot more accessible.
'Also, the product has really changed. There is lots available for customers. Before you would maybe have to travel down to Manchester or London from Scotland to access flights. The accessibility is so much better. There are so many more flights now out of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Dundee.
'And people are becoming a lot more adventurous. When I first started out, it was only the minority who went on holiday. Now the majority of people I would say look forward to that annually, if not several times a year.'
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Dobson added: 'How we look after our people is a real focus now. I have really embraced that. If you look after your people, you look after your customers and also the business. Having a happy workplace is really essential to make business work.'
Much of the Barrhead workforce continues to operate in store, with the company now running 90 outlets throughout the UK. The majority of holidays sold by the firm, which has 565 directly employed staff and 1,000 in total when self-employed consultants and franchise members are included, take place in-store, despite the convenience of the internet.
'Our website is more of a shop window,' Dobson said. 'You can book online. Maybe about 10% of customers book online. People search on the website then actually come into store for booking. They do their research first of all.
'We have invested quite a lot in our website and will continue to invest, but more so from an information perspective, not from an online booking perspective. But if people choose to book online, the facility is there.'
She also emphasised the importance of customers being able to count on Barrhead's deeply knowledgeable staff, which includes teams of specialists for different destinations.
'We train our people. We send them out to resorts so they can see the hotels, they can experience the restaurants, they can take the trips, so that we can recommend different excursions and things to the consumer,' Dobson said.
'People generally want a bit of advice.'
Barrhead's ability to serve customers has been greatly enhanced since becoming part of Internova, one of the biggest travel companies in the US with more than 100,000 advisers on its books.
(Image: Barrhead Travel) Barrhead president Jacqueline Dobson with managing director Nikki Tempest-Mitchell and members of the team
Dobson, whose role was expanded recently to include responsibility for four businesses in the US, said being part of such a big company gives Barrhead access to more products, better pricing, superior technology and investment, all of which has powered the roll-out of Barrhead stores south of the Border. Further store openings are planned.
'We are 'book human',' she said. 'Obviously, the high street has had issues but we want physical stores, whether that is in shopping centres, retail parks or the high street.
'We have a commitment to opening more stores.'
While many households continue to come under pressure from the cost of living, Dobson said people are still prioritising holidays over other forms of discretionary expenditure, as underlined by recent major surveys from PwC and Barclays.
This continues a trend that first became evident in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
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'People are definitely ring-fencing their holiday spend,' she said. 'They are also booking their main holidays further ahead than ever before.
'People work so hard now that time with their families is precious. We see multi-generational families booking a lot more as well – grandparents, mum and dad and the children.
'A lot of people are time-poor and a holiday is a great way of being able to spend time with your loved ones.
'For instance, you can get a cruise for everybody. These kinds of holidays bring people together at meal times.
'They maybe do their own thing during the day but in the evenings they will come together and enjoy spending time together.
'I just think people are really time-poor and trying to spend as much time with each other as they possibly can, especially after Covid.'
Cruises have become an extremely popular way of holidaying among Barrhead's customers in recent years,
and now account for around one third of its bookings.
'What is really emerging now is river cruising,' Dobson said. 'That has really taken up popularity. There are so many more new ships being built and coming on board. It is really popular.
'River cruising is definitely an emerging market for us.'
She added: 'The Danube is really popular and some of the other rivers in Europe, but also, the Mekong [in Asia] is really an up-and-coming destination for river cruising.
'These smaller boats can get into places the larger vessels can't.'
Dobson observed Scots are increasingly adventurous in their choice of holidays, too, and highlighted India, Japan, Kenya and South Africa among the most sought-after destinations.
'People want to experience things more,' she said. 'Our touring and adventure business has increased by 25% this year over 2024. It is mainly destinations such as Japan, India, Kenya and South Africa.
'These are the destinations that are up and coming for touring and adventure. In South Africa people will maybe spend some time in Cape Town and then go on to a safari. Japan is an up-and-coming destination as well – we have seen a real spike in bookings for Japan.'
Given the positive trends reported by Barrhead, it is no surprise the company is on course for another record-breaking year.
Customers are already booking for 2026, taking advantage of the opportunity to stagger the cost of holidays via regular direct debit payments, Dobson noted. This allows people to spread the cost of holidays over 10, 12 or 14-month periods.
However, Dobson believes more should be done at the government level in order to support the industry. In particular, she argues the Scottish Government should be helping high-street businesses such as travel agents and highlights the contrast with England where the retail and hospitality sectors are continuing to receive rates relief.
'I do think the Government needs to look at the high street and how we can regenerate it,' she said.
'Travel agents, charity shops and coffee shops really prop up, in my opinion, the high street – and that's not retail parks or shopping centres, that's the high street in general. And I do think there is a lot more it can do in terms of rates.
'We are really at a disadvantage to our counterparts in England.'
Dobson also believes ministers must do more to broaden the provision of educational courses to train young people for entering the industry, and for the apprenticeship levy to be reformed, noting that many companies pay more than they receive in return in terms of accessing funding for the training of apprentices.
She would like to have an apprentice in every Barrhead Travel store.