But ‘other' sales jump 31% - GTMC
The first quarter saw 17% fewer air transactions and a 6% overall decline in activity, a survey by the UK Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) has revealed.
The steep drop in air ticket sales was offset in part by a 14% increase in rail transactions which have remained strong year-on-year.
But ‘other' transactions including travel insurance, passport and visa ordering and airport taxi bookings jumped 31%.
The GTMC said its 31 members had increased sales of other services in an attempt to make up for short falls in air travel and hotel bookings.
Hotel bookings suffered an 8% decline, in stark contrast to the 4% growth seen in the previous quarter.
The GTMC said a downturn in business travel "clearly visible" in the last quarter 2008 had worsened in the first three months of 2009.
"This quarter's continuing decline in air travel is worrying but predictable and the performance of the hotel sector underpins the obvious overall slow down in business," GTMC chief executive Philip Carlisle said.
"The continuing growth in rail travel year on year shows a change in business traveller behaviour which may well continue when the UK emerges from the recession."
www.gtmc.org