BARRHEAD Travel yesterday revealed all-inclusive holidays are accounting for more than one-quarter of all bookings for this summer, making them the most popular type of vacation, as it highlighted its expectation of a “stampede” this weekend from customers.
The Glasgow-based travel agent noted that today, the first Saturday of January, is “informally coined Sunshine Saturday by the travel industry” because it is typically the “most popular day of the year for travel bookings as people look ahead and start planning holidays”.
Barrhead Travel said business in the first few days of January breached 2019 levels.
It observed that holiday duration is “trending up with almost half of new bookings for 10 nights or longer”.
Barrhead Travel added: “All-inclusive holidays are the most popular type of holidays for summer 2023, accounting for more than 25% of bookings.”
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It highlighted strong demand for cruises. And it flagged Majorca and Tenerife as popular holiday destinations.
Barrhead Travel said: “Alongside demand for the all-inclusive holiday there is a noticeable growth in cruising, particularly amongst the family market. Cruising from Southampton and Miami is...favoured by both families and couples.”
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Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, said: “When the festive period draws to an end, many of us start thinking about locking in our holidays for the year ahead. It’s one of the best times of year to book – not only because many operators, hotels and airlines have fantastic January sales on, but having a holiday to look forward to later in the year is always welcome.
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“This weekend in particular, Sunshine Saturday, is usually the busiest booking weekend.”
She added: “We’re seeing signs people will continue to prioritise holidays this year. Longer durations and more upgrades are a common theme...while multi-generational breaks continue to make up a notable portion of our bookings...
"The desire to book with a travel agent increased during 2022 and that trend is set to grow this year."
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