BRITAIN’S LEADING TRAVEL ASSOCIATION, ABTA, is reporting “strong” demand for travel to Barbados.
With the 2015/2016 winter tourist season scheduled to start next month, ABTA said its members had reported that “demand for Jamaica, Barbados and the [United Arab Emirates] is . . . strong for this winter and next year”.
The association also said the indication was that there were “good numbers for Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta both for the summer of 2015 and for forward bookings for next year”.
“Spain and its islands have performed particularly well in summer 2015, boosted by extra capacity being put on by tour operators. Further afield, ABTA members have reported that bookings to Cuba, Cape Verde, Kenya and Thailand have been very healthy for 2015 and are looking positive for 2016,” ABTA said.
Its research found that “almost a quarter (23 per cent) of the population is expecting to spend more on their holidays in 2016, up slightly from 20 per cent who said the same this time last year”.
“Industry figures also pointed to many consumers feeling positive about holidays next year, early indications show the number of overseas holidays booked to date up 12 per cent year-on-year and bookings for 2015 winter holidays five per cent,” it added.
The research found holidaymakers were making “more adventurous destination choices”, with almost one in five people (18 per cent) saying they would travel to a country they had never been to before, compared to nine per cent who said this last year.
Furthermore, nearly a quarter (23 per cent) said they would try a new resort or city (even if they have visited the country before) compared to ten per cent who said this last year.
Commenting on the findings, ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “Due to the global nature of the travel industry it is particularly exposed to world events, either natural or man made. This summer saw some very difficult conditions with the appalling terrorist attack in Tunisia and the economic and political issues around the Mediterranean.
“It is a reflection of the resilient nature of the British holidaymaker that these events don’t appear to have discouraged people from taking overseas holidays with consumer confidence continuing to return to the market as we look ahead to 2016.” (SC)
