, 78 per cent of adults are planning a summer holiday abroad. This time last year that figure was just 64 percent. Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership (of travel agents) backs this up. She says that this summer is clearly set to outperform the last by some distance. Sales are already at 98 per cent of those in 2022, despite the fact that peak season has barely begun. Another sign of just how much demand is growing was Manchester Airport's recently published figures which show that passenger numbers have nearly tripled in the last 12 months. The result of all this is a dearth of last-minute deals. Which is clearly bad news for anyone who hasn't booked but still wants to get away over the next six weeks. But is this just a glitch, or are we seeing a longer term trend? Perhaps even the demise of the flurry of last-minute deals which have been such a big part of our traditional way of buying holidays? We answer the key questions. It's possible. Certainly things look very different from usual this year. Normally, despite all marketing spiel from tour operators about booking early for the best deal, as long as you are prepared to be flexible – both on date and destination – you expect to be able to pick up a discounted holiday within two or three weeks of travel. Even in years when there are few discounts around, it stands to reason that there will still be a reasonable amount of availability. Even in peak season. But not this year. Sheer pressure of demand has pushed prices up and sold out many flights. Online agent, Kayak, has calculated that flights for a typical family holiday for f){kind=link}
With availability in the Mediterranean low and prices soaring, have Britons lost the ability to be spontaneous?
With only a week to go until most schools break up for the summer, holiday bookings to the Mediterranean are at record levels. After three years when many of us were put off by the problems with covid and travel, this is the year when we have decided to head abroad again. The numbers are quite staggering. According to one recent survey (by AllClear Travel Insurance), 78 per cent of adults are planning a summer holiday abroad. This time last year that figure was just 64 percent.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership (of travel agents) backs this up. She says that this summer is clearly set to outperform the last by some distance. Sales are already at 98 per cent of those in 2022, despite the fact that peak season has barely begun. Another sign of just how much demand is growing was Manchester Airport’s recently published figures which show that passenger numbers have nearly tripled in the last 12 months.
The result of all this is a dearth of last-minute deals. Which is clearly bad news for anyone who hasn’t booked but still wants to get away over the next six weeks. But is this just a glitch, or are we seeing a longer term trend? Perhaps even the demise of the flurry of last-minute deals which have been such a big part of our traditional way of buying holidays? We answer the key questions.
It’s possible. Certainly things look very different from usual this year. Normally, despite all marketing spiel from tour operators about booking early for the best deal, as long as you are prepared to be flexible – both on date and destination – you expect to be able to pick up a discounted holiday within two or three weeks of travel. Even in years when there are few discounts around, it stands to reason that there will still be a reasonable amount of availability. Even in peak season.