The UK’s largest Tour Operator, TUI Holidays is reporting “unexpected growth” in bookings in the last fortnight with 50% of bookings on their website currently being snapped up by over-50s.
While we might not be expecting any “I’m in a lockdown, get me out of here” reality TV shows coming anytime soon (though who knows in these strange days), TUI says that the current hard lockdown in the UK is prompting people to book their holidays in advance now.
It’s not just UK breaks that are selling. The UK’s largest tour operator TUI, famous for its sun-drenched European beach holidays, says there has also been a change in the last fortnight.
According to a report by the BBC, Andrew Flintham the MD of TUI UK, said that the company is seeing the over 50s starting to book, and they can only assume it’s off the back to the vaccine news.
Flintham said that despite the market still being “depressed”, the company is “seeing glimmers of hope.”
The trend TUI has spotted is the emergence of large family bookings; complete with grandparents, aunts, cousins and more.
Even though people have been in lockdown with their immediate family, it seems that they miss the extended family and wish to make up for lost time on a summer holiday, ideally not in the UK.
The UK’s National Express’s coach holiday businesses have also seen a rise in bookings made by those 65 and over, with a 185% increase over the past fortnight, year on year.
It seems that, although things are looking pretty bleak over in the UK right now, the vaccine rollout and the thought of summer is giving people the confidence to book travel and get something in the diary to look forward to.
For those who’ve watched the travel industry crumble during the continued aftermath of the global pandemic, this sparkle of good news is a small win for all involved.
People are itching to get travelling as soon as it’s safe to do so and when the rebound happens, travel agents and suppliers will be in demand more than ever before.