During the week commencing 16 August, another third of customers booked winter 2021/22 breaks to the US, Spain and the Maldives, while the final third of clients have already planned ahead to summer 2022 with bookings to Greece, Spain and the USA.

Following Thursday’s (26 August) traffic light update, Travel Counsellors said it was "very optimistic" about overseas travel after recording its best trading week since March 2021.

As well as a continued demand for staycations and late bookings, the company has seen an increase in demand for long-haul destinations in 2022.

Travel Counsellors reported a 440% increase in bookings to the United Arab Emirates after the previous traffic light update, when the country was moved from red to amber.

Kirsten Hughes, UK managing director for Travel Counsellors, said despite the "complexity" around overseas travel, the firm is "truly enjoying seeing so many more customers going abroad".

"We are also seeing a much earlier demand for key holiday periods for winter 2021/22 and summer 2022, when families and loved ones can travel together, so we strongly recommend booking as early as possible," she added.

 
Hughes also called for other destinations to be added to the green list, such as the US, and to consider giving two weeks’ notice of when a country is set to change category, "rather than just days".

"Not only would this allow customers to finish their well-deserved holidays, but it would further increase consumer confidence, which is much needed in the travel industry right now," she added.