Getting Ready for Winter and New Year Tours: A Season Checklist for Travel Agencies

By late October, the same question comes up in a lot of agencies: "What are we offering for New Year?" Customers are already writing in. Some want a warm beach, some want a ski resort, and some want Europe's Christmas markets. At the same time, flights and hotels on the most popular dates fill up fast.

The season usually starts all at once and brings a heavy workload. That's exactly when inquiries get lost, options get mixed up and deposit deadlines slip. This article gives you a practical checklist so you go into the season prepared instead of scrambling.

1. Look back at last season

Your best data is in your own history. Before you build new offers, check what happened last winter:

• Which destinations sold, and which got lots of questions but few bookings.
• When customers started asking, and how far ahead they booked.
• Where things went wrong: a hotel confirmed late, a visa that took too long, a changed flight.
• Who traveled with you and might plan a trip again this year.

If last year's orders are scattered across several spreadsheets and chats, this step will be hard. That's a good reason to start keeping everything in one place this season, so next year the answers take seconds.

2. Pick your destinations and prepare offers

Offering everything at once doesn't always pay off. It's usually better to focus on a few destinations you know well and have reliable suppliers for.

• Group them by what customers want: for example, family holidays, ski trips, short city breaks and warm countries.
• Prepare a base package for each: what's included (flights, hotel, transfer, insurance) and what isn't.
• Date your prices. Prices move quickly in season, so tell customers how long an offer is valid.
• Write down the cancellation terms for every service. On New Year dates they're often stricter than usual.

3. Talk to suppliers early

Availability on the key dates shrinks fast. Reaching suppliers early helps you offer customers real options, not ones that are already gone.

• Ask how long you can hold places without paying.
• Find out the deposit and final payment deadlines.
• Note each supplier's contact person and their working hours over the holidays.
• Accept confirmations only in writing, and keep them with the order.

4. Agree on how you'll handle inquiries

In season, inquiries arrive at the same time by phone, Instagram, Facebook and email. If every manager works their own way, some customers never get an answer.

• Log every inquiry right away: name, contact, destination, dates, number of travelers and budget.
• Assign a responsible manager. One customer should have one person leading their trip.
• Agree on a response time. For example, every new inquiry received during a working day gets a first reply the same day.
• Plan the follow-up. If the customer is thinking it over, note when you'll get back to them and what you offered.

5. Get payments and documents ready

In season there are many orders and the amounts are large, so set your payment rules in advance:

• Ask for a deposit when you confirm a booking, and record it on the order: date, amount and payment method.
• Set the customer's final payment deadline before the supplier's deadline.
• Prepare invoices with your agency's details, so the customer knows exactly what they're paying for and to whom.
• Send the document list (passport, visa where needed, insurance) early, so nothing gets missed in the last few days.

We cover invoices and payment tracking in detail in a separate article: Invoices for travel agencies.

6. Prepare your team

The season usually overlaps with holidays, when part of your team is off too. That's exactly when someone asks, "Who was handling this order?"

• Make a duty rota for the holiday days.
• Agree on who answers customers who are already traveling.
• Make sure every order's information is available to the whole team, not just in one manager's phone.
• Quickly go over the rules again: where inquiries are logged, how payments are recorded and who confirms bookings.

7. Reach out to past customers

The start of the season is a good time to write to people who have already trusted you. See who traveled with you in winter or over the holidays, and send them a personal offer that takes their last trip into account.

This shouldn't be a mass, one-size-fits-all message. Two or three sentences are enough: remind them where they went and suggest something similar or something new. For more ideas on repeat bookings, see Your customer base is your agency's main asset.

The short checklist

1. Review last season's orders and customers.
2. Choose destinations and prepare base packages.
3. Contact suppliers and write down the deadlines.
4. Agree on how inquiries are logged and assigned.
5. Set your deposit and final payment rules.
6. Make a duty rota for the team.
7. Write to past customers with a personal offer.

How Aviafy helps

Aviafy is a CRM for travel agencies that replaces Excel and notebooks. Customers and their orders live in one place, so even in the middle of the season any manager can see who booked what and what stage an order is at. You create invoices with your agency's details right in the system, and the interface is in Georgian. And next year, this season's history will be waiting for you in one place.

• Basic, 70 GEL per month: customers, orders and invoices in one system.
• Pro, 250 GEL per month: everything in Basic plus an AI chat assistant for Instagram and Facebook messages, arriving in the coming days.

Both plans start with a 14-day free trial, and no bank card is required.

Frequently asked questions

When should we start preparing?

The earlier, the better. What matters is having your offers and payment rules ready before the main wave of inquiries begins. Exact timing depends on the destination and your suppliers' terms.

Does a small agency really need all these rules?

Yes, even with two or three people. In season, small teams carry the heaviest load, and one forgotten payment or unconfirmed booking can cost a lot.

Is it worth switching to a new system right before the season?

It's better to start now, before the workload peaks. Begin with your active orders only. Here's a step-by-step guide: How to move a travel agency from Excel to a CRM.

Conclusion

The winter and New Year season is a big opportunity for an agency, but only if you meet it prepared. Destinations chosen early, deadlines agreed in advance, clear rules for the team, and customers and orders kept in one place turn the season from chaos into work you can manage.

Want to start this season with orders that are in order? Sign up for Aviafy and use it free for 14 days. If you have any questions, we're happy to help.