Fearless Evening Echo readers have been leading the way back to the skies - calling in their thousands to book holiday flights with Reader Holidays staff.
Holidays joy - Sue Roebuck cheers success. Picture: CHRIS SPURR 69G9G1
Phones in the Echo's Basildon travel office have been jammed with calls from would-be holidaymakers - confirming nationwide trends that travellers are shrugging off post-September 11 fears about flying.
The first week of January saw an amazing 4,000 calls to hard-pressed staff in the Echo Newspapers' Reader Holidays Department - many times the number calling a few weeks before.
Reader Holidays travel manager Susan Roebuck says destinations such as Niagara Falls and China are proving popular with callers who jammed her phones, when the Echo and its weekly sister papers published details of 2002 holiday offers.
"People have held back since the tragic events of September 11 with some fear and a little caution," Sue explained.
"It seems people are still looking down different avenues - cruises and coach trips - but air travel has picked up very well."
She added that long-haul trips were proving especially popular.
Travel agent Thomas Cook reported an 11 per cent rise in festive season ski holiday bookings over the festive period.
Echo Newspapers Reader Holidays can be contacted on 01268 471406
Published Monday January 14, 2002
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