After so many false dawns, nobody wants to take anything for granted. But the trade has seen demand return since last month’s announcement of a further easing of international travel restrictions and, crucially, testing rules.

Sales of winter-sun holidays will be critical over the coming weeks and months, alongside October half-term breaks. And, so far, the signs are promising as more destinations open up.

In fact, as Idle Travel’s Tony Mann put it, “it’s gone crackers”. “Since that last change, we’re getting winter sales in,” he said. ‘Like any agent, we need that money. People coming in are wanting to book.”

Not Just Travel co-founder Steve Witt said the homeworking firm’s had seen “sales go through the roof” since the announcement on 17 September, with bookings for winter 2021/22 making up a third of sales during a record- breaking September.

Kuoni also noticed a “step change”, with the mood among the operator’s sales teams “feeling like January” as staff dealt with new bookings rather than cancellations and rebookings.

Traditional winter-sun hotspot the Canary Islands continues to be a top-seller for the coming season, but there are signs clients may look beyond usual locations.

Witt said there was also interest in year-round Mediterranean destinations such as Cyprus and Malta, with some clients “prepared to sacrifice a bit on temperatures” when choosing where to go this winter. “People still want to get away – more so than ever before,” he added. “They are not just looking for sun but a change of scenery.”

The outlook has undoubtedly been boosted by the Foreign Office green-lighting Egypt, the Maldives and Sri Lanka after they were removed from the UK’s red list last month.

Paul Bixby, easyJet holidays’ commercial director, added winter-sun holidays have been “selling beyond our expectations”. “The most noticeable difference is the demand for holidays to Egypt, especially Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada,” he said.

EasyJet holidays has also seen the trend towards all-inclusive “dominate searches and bookings” as customers look to lock in costs.

A clear trend for winter is the re-emergence of long-haul, particularly with the reopening of the US from early November, and the likes of the Maldives and Sri Lanka coming off the red list. Middle eastern destinations, particularly Dubai, already had momentum after the United Arab Emirates went off the red list in early August.

If Only general manager Gordon McCreadie said: “The Maldives, Dubai and the Caribbean, specifically Barbados and Antigua have bounced back quickly.”

Jim Eastwood, global sales director at Travel Counsellors, added the company was also “seeing the resurgence of long- haul” for winter.

“Travellers have a strong desire to see some winter sun, with popular destinations being the Maldives, UAE and Tenerife. As restrictions ease, clients want to travel sooner – and further – for experiential breaks”

Several Caribbean destinations, such as Barbados and Antigua, have benefited from being “open” to the UK market for longer than other long-haul competitors.

Availability issues?

Paul Cleary, managing director of Caribtours, told TTG the Caribbean has benefited from demand being “funnelled” away from destinations such as the US, which has been closed to Britons in the pandemic.

“We’re in great shape – our October to Christmas business is at levels unseen in 40 years,” said Cleary. “This Christmas and winter will be the busiest in our history.”

Cleary admits there’s already “tight” availability in the Caribbean due to a strong US market, particularly around Christmas. This could mean winter sunseekers switching to the Indian Ocean, with Kuoni seeing strong demand for the Maldives and Mauritius.

If Only’s McCreadie added: “A lot of popular destinations have been open to other markets for a while, now with this surge from the UK, we’re beginning to see the Maldives and Dubai fill up.”

But after the turmoil of the past 18 months, this kind of demand can undoubtedly be filed under the “good problem to have” category for the industry.