Kelly Cookes, chief commercial officer, said summer 2023 had been an anomaly. “We saw a really late market – the latest I’ve ever seen since I’ve been in travel – 50% of bookings we saw for summer booked and departed within 12 weeks. Generally, for us in a normal summer that would fall between 35-40%.”
Advantage’s bookings for summer 2024 have made up 54% of all sales so far, with transactions up 67% at this point compared with September 2023. Nearly half of bookings made through the Advantage network departing next summer are for all-inclusive options. Advantage said this was due to the “continuing squeeze on disposable income”. The average length of stay for a holiday next year is 10 days.
Advantage said long-haul destinations were proving popular for Christmas, with Mexico, Australia and Thailand taking the lead in bookings. In total, 20% of departures for 2024 are for long-haul destinations. Among these, the US is most popular, taking 33% of share, followed by the Far East and Caribbean. Another 14% of all 2024 departures so far are for cruises, with the Mediterranean and Caribbean proving “particularly popular”.
The top-selling destinations among Advantage travel agents for 2024 so far are Tenerife, Antalya, Costa Blanca, Majorca and Lanzarote.
Cookes added: “It’s great to see the data reveal that consumers are looking to book holidays abroad in 2024 and that they are managing their budgets by booking early and opting for all-inclusive stays. This shows that holidays really are a necessity and something people are looking to prioritise in the year ahead.
“Our travel agent members are seeing strong bookings for October half-term and beyond, which is a very positive sign that the industry is continuing to thrive.”
