Two of the leading home-based agent organizations say bookings are off to a good, strong start for 2010, but last-minute reservations continue to be a persistent trend.

"Last-minute travel offers continue to be way up over previous years, as some consumers are prepared to wait it out," said Jackie Friedman, president and general manager of Nexion, the host agency owned by Sabre Travel Network. Launched in 1995, Nexion has about 2,100 affiliated retailers.

"Many of our preferred suppliers are offering promotions to stimulate advance bookings, and our members are responding," she said. However, the agents monitor those bookings to see if prices drop closer to departure.

"In the event that they do, many are using it as an opportunity to upgrade accommodation for the same price," added Friedman.

Additionally, she said, more Nexion agents are opting to take out insurance for their clients to protect against job loss.

Kathryn Mazza-Burney, president of NEST, a marketing consortium for home-based agents, predicted that supplier promotions will continue into the early part of 2010.

"Customers are conditioned right now to wait for the last-minute promotions, so it will take some time to recondition the customer to believe the better deals are those with early-booking discounts," she said.

Mazza-Burney said 2010 bookings are strong, and up from last year. European and exotic travel are booking slightly farther in advance, but price-sensitive products such as mass-market cruises and Caribbean, Mexico and domestic land vacations continue to book close-in to departure, she said.

NEST is a unit of Travelsavers.