A survey of 2,000 UK consumers found confidence levels were a healthy +47 compared with +41 last year. The score is derived from the 68% who expressed high confidence minus the 21% who put themselves in the low confidence group.

Abta said: “This increase is coming from people with previously ‘neutral’ levels of confidence now rating themselves as having higher confidence to travel, rather than a drop in those having low confidence levels. One in five people (21%) rated themselves as ‘extremely confident’ this year, up from 17% last year.”

Factors that gave travellers confidence included knowing the total price of their holiday in advance, which was mentioned by 54% this year and 49% in 2024.

Abta found how people booked and travelled significantly affected their confidence, with those using a travel professional remaining very confident at +72 and those who took a package holiday returning a score of +74, up from +70 last year.
 
While families (+62) and 25- to 34-year-olds (+60) remain the most confident, all those aged 64 and under returned more positive scores this year, with the biggest year-on-year increase in confidence among those aged 45-54 (up from +34 to +50).

The only age group to have lost confidence to travel are those 65 and over, with a score of +26, down from +33 last year. Abta said: “Part of the reason may be that this group travelled abroad in smaller numbers over the past 12 months (46%) than the 12 months prior (49%).”

Areas of concern seeing the biggest year-on-year increase included being able to get home if a travel company goes bust (rated essential by 58%), good health and safety standards in accommodation (rated essential by 48%), and having a welcoming and safe environment on holiday (mentioned by 46%).

Abta said these factors highlighted the importance of reassuring customers during the booking process or via marketing activity.

The need to book with an Abta member was rated the same as last year, being graded essential by 41% of respondents.

‘Really encouraging’

Graeme Buck, Abta’s director of communications, said: “With the Travel Confidence Index now in its second year, this is our first opportunity to compare data and start identifying any trends or changes in sentiment.
 
“It’s really encouraging to see that the nation’s overall confidence to travel is up – and up significantly among certain groups. It’s also brilliant to see that booking with a travel professional continues to foster such high levels of confidence too, which is testament to the exceptional work our members do to make sure their customers are prepared, informed and ultimately have an amazing holiday.
 
“However, it is slightly concerning to see confidence dropping among the over 65s, who have traditionally had a very strong interest in travel and are a large customer base for our members. 

“Our research suggests they’ve become increasingly risk averse and are significantly reassured by travel insurance, protections against company insolvency and booking with an Abta member – so businesses targeting this age group should make sure they raise awareness of these points in their interactions with customers.”