Advantage reports 44% surge in Christmas getaways

The Advantage Travel Partnership is optimistic about prospects for the new year peaks sales period following a surge in bookings for this forthcoming festive season.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive at the consortium, said: “Brits are once again showing a strong desire to travel over the Christmas period.

“Collectively, across our UK-wide travel agency partnership, we are seeing bookings departing from December 18-28 up by 44% compared to the same period last year.

“This follows recently released data from Barclays which showed that the travel sector has continued to perform strongly, citing year-on-year spending, with travel agents having increased by 9.2% in November and that the travel sector as a whole has now recorded double-digit growth in 11 of the past 12 months.”

She said this continuing growth demonstrates how consumers are still looking to catch up on trips they missed during the pandemic – and are prioritising expenditure on travel above other spending.

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“It also shows that, with signs of the rise of inflation rates slowing, Brits are feeling cautiously optimistic, and that this growth should continue into the new year,” she added.

“Since the beginning of October, 30% of all bookings made have been for travel over the Christmas period, telling us that waiting until the last minute or possibly making impulsive purchases, investing in new experiences and making memories are important factors.

“We are also seeing that in many cases people are looking to invest more in their holidays by travelling for longer periods with the average stay being eight nights.

“Whilst people are looking to make the most of their holidays this winter, they are also seeking ways to travel that are also cost-effective which is evident in the continued high demand for all-inclusive holidays, which currently represents a 32% share of all Christmas departures.”

The top destinations are hotspots in the Canaries and mainland Spain. Tenerife is the most popular destination, with a 9% share of all Christmas departures and 40% share of Canary Island bookings.

The long-haul market accounts for 22% of all festive breaks this year with the US, Caribbean, Far East, Dubai and Australia as the top choices.

City breaks account for 7% of bookings, to European destinations such as Paris, Reykjavik, Prague and Krakow.

“Ultimately, these Christmas trends are really encouraging for the UK outbound travel industry,” added Lo Bue-Said.

“For whatever reason they choose to travel, [Brits] are placing an even higher importance on getting away and booking their trips through a travel agent.”