The Advantage Travel Partnership has reported all-time record high sales last week, with Brits continuing to prioritise travel during the cost-of-living crisis. Saturday 13^th January was the busiest day ever recorded amongst Advantage’s travel agency partners, taking over £1.1 million in revenue and a 19 percent share of the week’s bookings. Throughout the week there were 75 bookings in excess of £10,000 revenue to a range of destinations including the Caribbean, USA, Gran Canaria & Canada.

Over the last week, Advantage saw bookings up 14 percent and revenue up 23 percent when compared to the same week last year despite an already strong performance in 2023. In comparison to the previous week, bookings were up 35 percent and revenue was up 41 percent whilst the average booking value was up by 5 percent on the previous week and up 7 percent on the same week last year.

Of those bookings, summer 2024 was the top selling season with a 51 percent share of all bookings. June was the most popular departure month taking 12 percent share, followed by February with a 10 percent share.

The ever-popular Canary Islands remain the top selling destination for British travellers seeking a sunshine getaway as bookings were up 25 percent on the previous week and 62 percent on the same week last year. With Brits looking to escape the UK’s cold snap, 52 percent of Canary Island bookings last week are departing in January and February 2024. Tenerife was the top selling Canary Island with a 41 percent share, closely followed by Lanzarote with 27 percent. All Inclusive was the most popular board basis accounting for a 47 percent share of all Canary Island bookings.

Mainland Spain was the next best selling destination with bookings up 28 percent on the previous week and 62 percent on the same week last year. Spain (including the Canary Islands and Balearics) accounted for a 28 percent share of overall bookings. Costa Blanca was the top selling Spanish destination with a 43 percent share, followed by the Costa del Sol at 28 percent. 56 percent of the mainland Spain bookings made last week are travelling in Summer 2024.

The desire for warmer climates is evident with Greece, Turkey and the Balearic Islands all performing well and seeing increases on both last week and last year. Portugal also had a good week with bookings up 65 percent vs the prior week and 54 percent vs the same week in 2023.

It was a bumper week for cruise bookings with sales up 158 percent compared to the same week last year. 43 percent of bookings were for summer 2024 sailings with Europe and the Mediterranean top selling.

Long haul continues its return to the travel agenda by accounting for a 22 percent share of all bookings with the most popular destinations booked being the USA, followed by the Caribbean. 45 percent of all long-haul bookings are departing in summer 2024.

City breaks continue to sell well and took a 9 percent share of volume last week, with the most popular cities being Krakow, Paris, and New York. The early winter months of 2024 are particularly popular with a 43 percent share of city break bookings and Bed & Breakfast was the most popular board basis, taking a 63 percent share.

All-inclusive remains the most popular board basis with a 41 percent overall share of all departure seasons as travellers look to lock in the price of their holiday early on before any rises. Meanwhile, demand for late bookings is still strong with 18 percent bookings departing before the end of February and 28 percent to travel within 12 weeks. In contrast, some travellers are already beginning to look ahead to summer 2025 with bookings up 63 percent compared to the previous week and 82 percent compared to the same week last year.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of The Advantage Travel Partnership said: “It is already proving to be a record year for Advantage and our travel agency partners, reflecting the monumental demand for travel from the British public. Holidays remain a priority for so many in this country and we are continuing to see people opt to save for a getaway over other expenses. Warm weather destinations such as the Canary Islands, Spain, and Greece remain incredibly popular at the moment with many looking to escape the cold and enjoy the sunshine those destinations can offer.

There are fantastic value deals on offer for all travellers across the product range bookable through travel agents at the moment and we are seeing consumers looking to take advantage of this. For those looking to book a holiday, we recommend contacting your local travel agent who will be able to use their expert knowledge and experience to help book the perfect holiday for you.”