Morecambe travel agent on hand to give advice to stranded holidaymakers

Manager Danielle said: “It’s the least that we can do, it’s such uncertain times for us all, that we all must pull together locally to get through this and if we can help to offer peace of mind to our community, then we will.

"That really is one of the main benefits of booking with a local agent, we do all the running around for you. I have been kept on hold over five hours on numerous occasions during the pandemic and Thomas Cook crisis; it’s not fun but this is what we’re here for.”

The travel industry has been one of the hardest hit throughout the coronavirus pandemic with the European travel and leisure market losing nearly 40 per cent of its value this year.

Yet, British holidaymakers are still looking to get away with Bay Travel seeing an increase in UK holiday bookings and staycations.

Team leader Danielle Mcintyre urges customers to not go straight to the internet when booking your holiday.

She said: "There’s a common misconception that travel agents are more expensive and pushy because we’re driven by commission, this may be the case for some of the more mainstream travel agents but our policy at Bay Travel is always to go with the best offer for the customer, not the company, and we stand by this.

"We check every single deal to make sure we get the best price. If we know there are five operators offering the same holiday we will check each individual one. We’re independent so we don’t push one company more than another, we just like to find the best deals for our customers.”

Myth-busting in the travel industry isn’t easy because a lot of trust has been jeopardized over the past couple of years. Bay Travel, on Euston Road, Morecambe, is a local family business that has been around since 1981.

"That’s 39 years of travel knowledge and expertise with a team who are well travelled and can make personal recommendations from far and wide; from Australia, America, The Far East, Europe and closer to home in the UK.

"The pandemic has taught us that supporting locally established businesses is critical for our local economy. This is something that Neil, the owner and managing director of Bay Travel, have always maintained.

“We’re not a mainstream travel agent, we’re a small, second-generation, local family business," he said. "We’ve part of Morecambe’s community, with a place on the high street, for nearly 40 years now and have a loyal customer base, many of whom we know personally.

"However, in times like this when faith in the industry has been damaged, it has been very challenging to pick the momentum back up.

“We really want to highlight, to our local community, that we’re a travel agent you can trust. Our doors are open and if it’s advice around travelling during the pandemic or looking for travel inspiration, we are always honest and professional in our opinion and pride ourselves on our genuine customer service and advice.

"We want to ensure we are giving our customers as much information as possible to make this decision-making process as easy as possible with the information and options that keep you safe.

"Our customers are our main priority and we aim to continue to support and reassure all our travellers who have existing bookings with us or who are looking to book with us in the future."

Bay Travel, based on Euston Road, Morecambe, offers customers a full range of travel agency services, all of which are financially protected. They offer a full range of holidays, from the UK, explorer, ski, beach, specialist holidays, and more.

Bay Travel is also a member of The Travel Network Group, the UK’s largest travel consortia of independent travel agents.