Following a busy summer of travel, The Advantage Travel Partnership can reveal the latest data and booking trends being seen across their travel agent partners including a look ahead to the upcoming holiday periods and the next year.

Throughout 2024 there has been a significant capacity increase across air, tour operations and cruise, which has come on the back of a strong 2023, and this is expected to continue to grow heading into 2025.​ Air traffic has continued it’s recovery following the pandemic, returning back to 2019 levels for the first time as a result of high leisure traffic whilst corporate travel is also continuing to catch up.

The demand for package holidays continues to increase with the big 3 of Jet2, TUI, and easyJet all increasing their capacity and ATOL licensing for 2024 and have already done so for 2025.​ The cruise sector is a high-growth area with global passengers expected to grow by 10 percent this year and by 15 percent in the UK. Highlighting this growth are 12 new ships this year with a further 8 planned for next year.​

2024 Bookings

Bookings throughout the year to date have increased by 6 percent and revenue is up 10 percent in comparison to 2023, which was a strong year itself. The top destinations for the year are Spain including its islands such as the Canaries and Balearics, Greece, and Turkey. Tenerife is the number one destination, taking a 6 percent share of the business which is on par with last year whilst other destinations including Turkey and Portugal have driven the overall growth seen.

Long haul has increased its share of bookings up to 12 percent from 11 percent in 2023, with the top long-haul destinations the USA, Caribbean, Australia, Dubai & Thailand. The sectors seeing the biggest growth in terms of revenue are cruise, which has taken a 16 percent share of total bookings, touring with 12 percent, and mass market at 10 percent.

​Summer Holidays

The latest consumer data released by Barclays shows that August was a strong month with travel spend up 6.8 percent vs last year and spending with travel agents outperforming this at 7.2 percent. The Summer 2024 school holiday period saw a strong performance across Advantage’s travel agent partners with the overall volume of departures increasing by 5 percent and revenue increasing by 8 percent in comparison to 2023. The most popular destinations were Majorca, Tenerife, Costa Blanca, Antalya & The Algarve​, whilst the top long-haul destinations were Orlando, New York and Mexico​.

42 percent of bookings for Summer 2024 were made and departed within 12 weeks, up 4 percent vs 2023,​ with consumers booking holidays at shorter notice based on a variety of factors such as last-minute deals offering increased value, deciding based on the UK weather, and seeing if they have the necessary funds for a holiday. 10 percent of bookings were for long-haul destinations, up from 8 percent last year, and ​40 percent were for all-inclusive properties which is a rise from 36 percent in the previous year. The​ average length of stay remained consistent at 8.3 nights.

Upcoming Holiday Periods

Looking ahead to the upcoming October half-term break, there has been high demand so far with bookings up 15 percent and revenue up 25 percent on 2023 levels. Meanwhile, for the Christmas holiday period, bookings are currently up 6 percent and revenue is up 14 percent compared to 2023. With many looking to escape the UK’s weather in search of winter sun, the Canary Island of Tenerife is the most popular destination taking a 9 percent share of bookings followed by Alicante and Lanzarote. 11 percent of bookings are for long-haul destinations, an increase from 9 percent last year, as the US, Dubai, Carribean and Far East are all selling well.​ The market share of cruise bookings has increased by 7 percent.

Looking Ahead To 2025​

​The high demand for travel continues with departures for 2025 so far rising by 10 percent and revenue by 13 percent. Booking well in advance allows travellers to secure the exact holiday that they want take advantage of the early booking discounts and free child places on offer. Booking early also offers the added benefits of being able to budget appropriately in advance and stagger payments. If travellers are able to be flexible on the dates, location and the airport they travel from then they will have a higher chance of finding a better deal.

Further trends being seen for 2025 include:

• Going East is back​ – With long-haul bookings on the rise, travellers are expanding their options and returning to further afield destinations including Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, and Australia.
• Rise of the ultra all inclusive​ – Consumers are opting to upgrade their all-inclusive packages to resorts offering multiple a la carte restaurants plus private and in-room dining, activities and excursions as well as other benefits such as babysitting services.
• Longer stays – Workers are utilising their hybrid systems to work from anywhere and are choosing to extend stays abroad without using annual leave.
• Multi-generational travel – From grandparents to grandchildren, families of all ages are travelling together including older adult children and their parents.
• Cruising​ – Next year will see the introduction of numerous brand new ships and with companies offering a plethora of options ranging from those on a budget to the ultra luxurious and travelling to destinations across the world, cruise is set to be a major area of growth.
• Destination Dupes – Travellers are increasingly searching for lesser-known alternatives to more popular holiday spots whether it is switching Santorini for Paros or Lisbon for Palermo.
• Sports & music tourism – After a summer filled with sports and the recent focus on demand for concert tickets, travel is now going hand in hand with consumers wanted to create memories by attending events abroad.
• New destinations​ – Demand for shoulder season travel and weather are driving people to lesser-known destinations like Paros in Greece and the Asturias region in Spain.
• Increased range of travel types – From rail to solo trips and adventure and touring, the variety in requests from consumers continues to grow.

Kelly Cookes, Chief Commercial Officer of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “Throughout 2024 and as we start to look ahead to 2025, performance across our travel agent partners has been very strong with both bookings and revenue consistently up across the board. There is an incredible appetite for travel amongst the UK public who are booking a wide range of trips to destinations all over the world.

Bookings remain strong for the upcoming major holiday periods in October and December and we are already seeing people looking ahead to their summer holidays next year to make the most of availability in terms of destination, duration and hotels as well as better deals and low deposits.

For those looking to book their next holiday, we always recommend booking with your local travel agent. They have a vast wealth of knowledge and experience in searching for the best deals available and are best placed to help research the best destination to visit for your budget.”