Long-haul holidaymakers are keeping the faith with Australia and Asian destinations despite the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, rising costs and flight issues.
In a recent poll of travel agents by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) UK & Ireland, 43% of respondents claimed Japan was currently seeing a surge in interest, followed by Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
With airlift to the Far East impacted by the war in Iran, retailers reported that travellers were still keen to consider well-connected destinations – even if it meant taking direct flights or alternative routes.
Unsurprisingly, 94% of agents said prices had risen as the number of flights via the Middle East had dropped, with 57% noting ‘reduced availability’ and 37% saying the situation is causing route changes and longer journey times.
Michelle Pollock, at Constance Hotels & Resorts, commented: “Many clients won’t entertain travelling via the Middle East, whilst some are still willing and wanting to travel to or via the region. Direct carriers such as BA and Air Mauritius have unfortunately dampened the demand for Maldives and Mauritius due to high pricing at £2,500 – £3,500pp in economy! At times like this we should all work together as an industry to keep consumers travelling to our destinations.”
The PATA UK research is a limited snapshot of booking trends, but it revealed 55% of agents reporting a significant decline for the Maldives. However, 31% said India, Malaysia and Australia were up. Meanwhile, 18% of agents had seen a jump in popularity for Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
When asked about global travel patterns, Asia and Australasia as a whole was identified by 44% of agents as one of the regions seeing stronger demand. As travellers look for alternative holiday options amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, 59% of agents noted a boom in European bookings, 54% an increase in the Caribbean and 31% for the U.S.
