Bookings for 2025 are up 10% and spend is up by 13%, according to the latest data from travel agent members of The Advantage Travel Partnership.
Sharing the figures and predicting 2025 trends at a media briefing in London this week, the consortium said the rise in spend was partly down to the higher cost of travel but also due to the demand for more luxury trips.
“People want to spend more on travel and are travelling well,” said CEO Julia Lo Bue-Said.
“We are seeing less demand for the value end of the family market and a rise in people wanting to travel in ultra all-inclusives.”
Advantage said the luxury travel market is no longer dominated by older, wealthy individuals as agents are seeing a rise in demand from younger, affluent travellers that want to “travel well and have unique personalised experiences”.
Bookings for long-haul trips are also up, with more Brits looking to travel to destinations in the East, rather than the West, such as Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, and Australia.
Other trends identified by Advantage members include:
Longer stays
Workers are using their hybrid working environments to work from anywhere, extending stays abroad without using their annual leave.
Multi-generational travel
From grandparents to grandchildren, families of all ages are travelling together, with a notable rise in groups with adult children.
Cruising
Cruise demand continues to rise as new ships come on line. There will be 12 new ships entering service this year and another eight in 2025. In a survey of Advantage members, 72% reported an increased interest in cruise holidays. Global passengers are expected to grow by 10% this year and by 15% next year in the UK.
New destinations
Travellers are increasingly searching for lesser-known alternatives to a more popular holiday spots, while the desire to travel in the shoulder season travel and the weather are driving people to lesser-known destinations like Paros in Greece and the Asturias region in Spain.
Favourites still stand
Despite protests and demonstrations against local political issues in popular spots like Venice, Majorca and Tenerife, there has been little impact on holiday sales. Top destinations for 2024 are Spain and its islands, Greece, and Turkey. Tenerife is the number one destination, taking a 6% share of business – on a par with 2023.
Sports and music tourism
Travel is now going hand in hand with consumers wanting to create memories by attending sporting and music events overseas.
