EasyJet has launched a new holiday business aimed at shaking up the sector with flexible, great-value holidays to handpicked hotels across Europe from 11 airports across the UK including Belfast.
With a third of people in Belfast (33%) going on more holidays now than they did three years ago, the amount of time being spent on holiday planning is soaring and research has found that the UK is in a state of ‘planning paralysis’, with the average Belfast-based holidaymaker spending 42 days searching for holidays over the course of their lifetime – equivalent to 14 weekend breaks to Europe – new research reveals.
It’s no wonder that time spent looking for the best holiday deals was found to be one of the biggest frustrations for holidaymakers, with people in Belfast spending a staggering 7.8 hours searching for the perfect getaway.
From working out the best location to be based on holiday (37%), to trying to find a suitable hotel for their needs (28%), holidaymakers’ demanding set of holiday-booking criteria is not helping matters. While location tops the list (51%) of the most desired hotel features for those in Belfast, the obsession with tech is making the search for accommodation an even more onerous task. Free access to free Wi-Fi (27%), for instance, scores as highly as a property’s star rating (28%), and surprisingly ranks more important to Belfast holidaymakers than a hotel’s food and drink offering (19%) or room size (18%).
Despite recent challenges faced by the travel sector, package holidays still offer an attractive holiday-booking solution, with nearly half (47%) of Belfast-based travellers saying they would book a package holiday for their next trip, as the desire for ease of booking in one place (42%) and increased security (46%) top the reasons for doing so.
Garry Wilson, Chief Executive of easyJet holidays, said: “We know customers want more flexibility to holiday how and when they want, which is leading to huge amounts of time spent planning to find the right holiday to suit them. With our new business, we’re offering complete flexibility and a hassle-free booking process.
“Our research has shown that holidaymakers not choosing a package deal are frustrated by the lack of control they feel they have over holiday plans (63%) and being limited to big chain hotels (25%), so we have built a business to overcome these frustrations, offering holidays relevant to today’s traveller.”
EasyJet holidays has launched its new business aimed at shaking up the sector with flexible, great-value holidays to handpicked hotels across Europe. The holiday company will offer lots of peak-time holiday availability and more weekend flying than anyone else. All holiday bookings will include 23kg hold baggage per person, offering great value and extra ease, especially with families in mind, and beach holidays will also include a transfer.
The business has also introduced new technology to ensure a quick and seamless customer experience, including integration with easyJet’s app and a completely new website. The new website also features advanced mapping technology, meaning customers can explore a city or resort or start to plan their trip before they book. Key points of interest and walking routes from chosen hotels are highlighted – together with new itinerary guides for a selection of cities – so that customers can start to make the most of their holiday before they travel.
