Abta’s 2023 Holiday Habits report, published on Tuesday (31 October) revealed that while 46% of British holidaymakers stated they intend to take a summer holiday in the 12 months (to August 2024), some 48% said they would look to do so in the spring, and 45% in the autumn.

The research – a survey of 2,000 consumers in the last two weeks of August 2023 – showed that when broken down by month, intentions to take holidays in May and June narrowly outstripped the July and August peak, with 21% saying they planned to travel in May or June in the coming year and 17% stating an intention to do so two months later.

Abta’s head of media and communications Emma Brennan told a briefing at the Abta Convention in Bodrum that the findings reflected Abta members’ efforts to extend their seasons. "There’s a [realisation] that destinations can still offer decent temperatures outside of summer," said Brennan, who added travellers more were opting for winter sun.

Just over a third (35%) of Brits booked a holiday with a travel professional in the 12 months to August 2023, a figure Abta said had “remained steady over the past few years”. Accompanying research by Abta found booking with an agent was one of the factors most likely to boost travellers’ confidence.

But those with families with older children, as well as those who had booked a package holiday or all-inclusive break, were markedly more likely to do so through a travel agent or operator.

Ease of booking and value for money were the top reasons cited for booking a holiday through a travel professional among those that had done so.

But value for money has become a much stronger focus among those who booked through an agent over the past year, Abta noted in its report, with the proportion of those stating this as a reason for their decision to do so up 12 percentage points compared with the previous year’s research.

"Agents are the professionals that can talk you through your options,” said Abta’s director of communications Graeme Buck. “They’ve got that expert knowledge and in a number of cases, have been to that destination that is not always necessarily ‘front of mind’.”

Those that booked holidays online stood at 83%, a figure that has remained consistent since 2017, Abta said. But the proportion of those using mobiles to book a holiday has risen markedly over the past year to 43%, up from the 20% that said they had done so in 2017.

The research, covering what travellers have done over the year to August 2023 and perceptions and intentions for the year to August 2024, showed 84% of consumers had taken a holiday in the past year, with 52% having done so overseas.

Just shy of two-thirds (64%) said they intend to take a holiday overseas next year, reflecting travel’s ongoing resilience, although Buck was quick to point out that the figure reflects intention rather than what holidaymakers will actually do in the next year.

’Say-do’ gap

Abta also pointed to a "say-do" phenomenon when it came to its findings concerning sustainability, comparing intentions around sustainability that consumers had highlighted in the 2022 research with actions a year later.

Four in 10 said last year that climate change considerations may make them consider a destination closer to the UK yet just 17% had actually chosen a holiday closer to home when asked a year later.

Meanwhile, almost half told Abta last year they were conscious about the impact of air travel on the environment, but just 12% used other means of transport to go on holiday in the 12 months to August 2023.

Brennan, though, said these findings “shouldn’t be taken as a negative”, pointing to the 50% of holidaymakers who made decisions about their travel plans with the environment in mind, and more tellingly, the 43% of those who had been on holiday in the past year telling Abta they would like advice from their travel company about how to make better choices for the environment and local people on holiday.

But the report did note that 46% of travellers over the past year felt it was their travel company’s responsibility to be more environmentally responsible – not theirs.