The COVID pandemic may still be with us and impacting our plans, but the desire to travel remains undimmed.

Just ask travel agent Shehryar Awan.

For even before the recent easing of restrictions, he raked in a record monthly commission – of a whopping £41,000.

The December earnings took Mr Awan’s quarterly commission to more than £55,000.

A director at Exquisite Escapes, which specialises in luxury travel to Dubai and the Indian Ocean, Mr Awan attributed his success to the team at Merlin Travel Group, of which his agency is a member.

“I’m extremely proud to have achieved this colossal figure for just one month of departures,” the former Jet2 passenger services agent said.

“My support has been fantastic. In fact if it wasn’t for the team at Merlin Travel Group, I doubt my sales and commission would have been half of what I accomplished in December.”

Merlin Travel Group Operations and Product Manager Garry Butcher said: “Shehryar has worked incredibly hard since he became a member of Merlin Travel Group barely two years ago.

“His hard work, high standards, and exceptional service to his clients have earned him a tremendous commission for his last month of 2021.

“The future is also incredibly bright for Exquisite Escapes with strong bookings for this first quarter of 2022.” 

Meanwhile, Mr Butcher said booking patterns have changed with lead times falling to six to eight weeks, even for high value bookings.

“We think this reflects the consumer waiting until they feel confident that their holiday has a good chance of going ahead,” he said.

Merlin Travel Group, a member of Protected Trust Services, has 38 members across the UK.