Leading travel agency LastMinute.com has reported a jump in package holiday bookings Following the announcement last Thursday that the traffic light system for travel to and from the UK is to be simplified, and expensive PCR tests scrapped for fully vaccinated passengers.
Ski package bookings were up 29% week on week, the company said.
The boom in bookings were part of an overall 52% jump in bookings for all types of holiday over the three days since the announcement (17-20th September), compared to the same three days the week before. Searches for package holidays also increased by over 37% in the same time period comparison, suggesting the pent-up demand to no longer have to ”staycation” but to leave the UK when allowed to safely and easily is strong.
“Last week was the biggest week so far this year for both package and flight-only bookings with lastminute.com. Flight-only bookings rose by 43% compared to the week before, following the announcement,” the company said in a statement, adding that the relaxed traffic light rules for travel from England from 4th October were bringing more confidence.
Ski travel agencies had previously said bookings for the coming winter were exceptionally high with a combination of held-over bookings from previous winters and fresh interest as travel has begun to re-open, and have warned of potential limited availability at peak periods like New Year and February half term as a result.
Lastminute.com described the jump in bookings as “unsurprising.”
Image credit Anna Shvets.
