The Advantage Travel Partnership says that as this is the first year that widespread Christmas travel has been possible since 2019, Brits are well and truly showing that they’ve missed their breaks away over the festive period.
The consortium says that this Christmas many are jumping at the chance to take that long-postponed trip, visit loved ones, get some much-desired winter sun and tick off the trips that have been sitting on their travel bucket list. However, despite early booking enthusiasm the excitement of a winter escape during the festive period has been dampened by fears that many passengers could face cancelled flights due to planned strikes by staff at UK border force between 23-26 and 28-31 December inclusive.
Kelly Cookes, Chief Commercial Officer for The Advantage Travel Partnership, says that across its extensive UK network of agent partners, the consortium is seeing pent up demand for Christmas markets, ski holidays and breaks to warmer climates, as millions of Brits plan to leave the UK shores on over 31,000 flights departing from nationwide airports over the Christmas period.
Cookes said: “Collectively, across our UK-wide travel agency membership, we are seeing bookings departing over Christmas up by 55% compared to last year, as consumers make up for lost time. We are also seeing the average booking value up £1,435 compared to same period in 2019, as customers look to upgrade their holiday for a longer duration, choose to travel further afield or trade up their room or board basis.”
Cookes added that the average selling price this Christmas and New Year is £4,393 compared to £2,958 at the same period in 2019. Top trends that Advantage is seeing this festive season include:
Escape to the sun – This Christmas period Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Alicante and Fuerteventura are the top 5 short-haul destinations for sun seekers.
Long Haul is making a comeback – After years of uncertainty, international travel restrictions and closed borders, demand for long-haul flights to popular destinations is slowly but surely returning. New York, Dubai (Mid-Haul), Cancun, Jamaica, Orlando are the top 5 long haul destinations for those looking to travel further afield.
Christmas Markets are back with a boom – Bookings for Christmas markets have doubled this year compared to 2021, as the majority of COVID-19 restrictions have been removed and consumers are confident to travel. The top three destinations for Christmas markets are Krakow, Prague and Budapest.
Trading up – Advantage agent partners have seen average stays increase and say holidaymakers are trading up on their accommodation as well as adding excursions, demonstrating consumers are looking to make up for lost time.
River cruising – The popularity of river cruises continues to grow with demand estimated to have increased 315% since 2011. River Cruises offer a great way of visiting multiple destinations in one trip, with many European-based cruises, offering travellers the opportunity to combine their trip with Christmas markets.
UK Cruising – To minimise travel time, Advantage is also seeing cruises departing from the UK selling exceptionally well for the Christmas period.
All-inclusive bookings – As costs continue to increase, Advantage says that consumers are looking at cost effective ways to travel which is evident in the increase in bookings for all-inclusive holidays. Destinations such as the Canary Islands, Mainland Spain & Turkey offers some great value properties or, for those wanting to go further afield, Mexico and the Dominican Republic are proving popular.
Christmas in Lapland – Last but by no means least, Lapland trips are firmly back for this year and are pretty much sold out but are also on sale now for 2023 and 2024.
Kelly Cookes, Chief Commercial Officer of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “The feedback from our members is that people are keen to make up for lost time this Christmas and take advantage of the ability to travel to places that have been largely off limits for the last couple of years, be that short-haul or long-haul. We are also seeing that in many cases people are looking to invest more in their holidays by trading up their rooms or travelling for longer periods, perhaps because they want to make them count. 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.
“Ultimately, these Christmas trends are really encouraging for the travel industry. The wide range of trips that are being booked shows that people are not letting rising prices at home stop them from travelling abroad. We are hopeful that any disruption by the planned strikes will be minimised by the time the Christmas holidays start and that everyone’s travel plans can run smoothly.”
