Members have recorded a 15% year-on-year increase in bookings for half-term, while demand for Easter is up 8% year-on-year. Revenue for both booking periods is up a quarter compared with last year.
The Canary Islands continue to be the consortium’s top seller for February half-term, accounting for 15% of all Advantage bookings, with Tenerife and Lanzarote taking the lion’s share – 56% – of these.
The US is Advantage’s second-most popular half-term destination, accounting for 9% of members’ bookings, of which more than half were for New York. Mainland Spain, meanwhile, is third, led by demand for the Costa Blanca.
City breaks accounted for nearly one in five bookings (18%) with Prague, Paris and Reykjavik proving the most popular city break destinations.
"Travel continues to remain top of the agenda for much of the UK,” said Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said.
The Canaries is also Advantage’s best-selling destination for Easter, taking a 14% share of the total booking volume with Advantage members.
France came next, with Advantage reporting holidaymakers taking advantage of an early Easter to extend the ski season and look to hit the slopes in late March. French resorts account for nearly half of all departures, followed by Italy and Bulgaria.
Long-haul is also proving popular for Easter, accounting for more than a quarter (26%) of Advantage bookings for this period, with the US, Dubai and Caribbean leading the way.
Average stay lengths for Easter are currently charting at 8.2 days, with 38% choosing to book on an all-inclusive basis. The consortium added there was also "high bookings levels" for cruise.
“We are seeing an incredible demand from UK travellers already this year across the board, whether it is booking ski holidays, city breaks, or traditional warm weather destinations such as the Canary Islands and Spain,” Lo Bue-Said concluded.
