Leeds’ icelolly.com bucks travel industry trend as revenues rise 14%

icelolly.com, the Leeds-based holiday price comparison website, has seen revenues rise 14% over the past six months, despite uncertainty in the aftermath of recent terror attacks and Britain’s decision to leave the EU.

These results buck the trend in the travel industry as seen in recent months, with the administration of cheap holidays provider Lowcostholidays.com, as well as the 8% decrease in revenues at Thomas Cook.

icelolly.com, which employs more than 50 staff, handles over 130 million holiday offers a day from some of the UK’s largest travel companies, with more than 20 million visitors to its site every year.

The company, which is backed by Palatine Private Equity, has also made a six-figure investment in TV advertising over this six month period. As a result, there has been a significant increase in website traffic.

Andrew Latham, chief executive of icelolly.com, said: “We are delighted with these very positive results that have been driven through the repositioning, investment and focus on our brand, product and our powerful comparison message.

“These results are particularly pleasing when set against the recent terrorist atrocities, uncertainty post the Brexit decision and other macro-economic and geopolitical challenges.

“July trading volumes have been weaker and we’re now seeing limited hotel capacity in the western Mediterranean. However, more astute travel agents are exploiting the additional flight capacity that exists to find deals for customers willing to be flexible and shop around.

“We are also seeing strong demand for Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia as customers seek alternative beach destinations. We are continuing to work closely with our travel agent partner advertisers to deliver the best value and range of fantastic holidays offers.”