Agent Allison Disney is celebrating her best booking in 22 years in the business, clinching a £55,000 sale to Dubai.

Allison, who works at Baildon Travel, West Yorkshire, says it shows people are desperate to go away and want to splash out on a holiday to remember.

The request, for a group booking to Dubai in December to see the Emirates Dubai Rugby 7s, came in via email after friends of the customers recommended the agency.

Allison worked on their request, which included a five-star hotel and business class seats, for 10 days, in conjunction with Pure Luxury, part of Gold Medal.

The final value of the booking will be more that £55,000, as tickets for the rugby games don’t go on sale until September.

She told Travel Gossip: “I started yesterday booking a coach trip to Llandudno, and, after the difficult times travel agents are having, that felt good.

“To finish the day booking a business-class trip to Dubai in a five-star hotel for 10 passengers is just out of this world.

“I’d had my first COVID vaccine that morning and thought to myself ‘this is surely the start of better things’. Guess I was right. Here’s hoping it carries on.”

She added: “This is my biggest ever booking. I’ve worked in travel since the age of 16 and at Baildon Travel since 2014.

“Working over the last 15 months has been tough. We went through the collapse of Freedom Travel back in 2019 and thought things could never be as bad but this has been worse.

“Being a travel agent is normally a happy job but over the past 15 months, when I’ve actually been in the office and not furloughed, I’ve been the bearer of bad news on so many occasions, had to do numerous cancellations, amendments, refund chasing and such like. The job just has not been the same.

“But yesterday gave me a taste of how it feels to be a travel agent again.”

Allison worked for 10 days on the booking, including her days off.

“The clients aren’t local, but we were recommended to them by people who know of us in the next town.

“We have booked their flights and accommodation and will add on the rugby tickets and other extras they are looking at when they go on sale so will be an even more fantastic booking in the end.

“Jon Perry at Pure Luxury is like my best friend now. He has been fab. I can’t wait to take him out for a night to celebrate.”

Gold Medal Sales Director Nick Hughes said the sale was a ‘lovely booking’ and praised Jon and colleagues for their ‘great teamwork’.