February 2024
EasyJet Bookings Took Off During Peak Bookings Period
www.nitravelnews.com
EASYJET and easyJet holidays bookings took off during their biggest ever Big Orange Sale, filling two planes a minute at peak booking periods and seeing the busiest ever sale trading day for package holidays Sunshine Saturday, typically known in the industry to be the busiest day of the year for Brits to book an overseas holiday. Flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Alicante and Malaga have proved to be the most popular since the launch of the sale, while Greek island Skiathos,
Calabria in
Italy and Rovaniemi in Lapland are among the
have
destinations to experienced
the greatest rise in popularity compared to 2023.
Central European destinations Zadar in Croatia and Tivat in Montenegro have also seen a boost in popularity for 2024, while Brits have been booking flights to French destinations like Rennes and La Rochelle in greater numbers. Last minute flights in January were most popular, as travellers snapped up winter sun breaks and hot spots like Tenerife saw a boost versus last year.
Geneva, Lyon and Innsbruck are top for
ski breaks. The airline has been focusing on expanding ski routes with the addition of three aircraft in Switzerland which will see it increase its ski flying programme by 20% this year compared to last. May proved to be the most popular summer
month for flight bookings since the start of the sale with people taking advantage of half term deals to the likes of Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Faro, while August is currently set to be the most popular departure month for package holidays. The ever-popular Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands has been the most-booked peak summer destination for flights since the sale began. Copenhagen has seen an increase in popularity this summer compared to last year, with the airport providing quick access to the Swedish city of Malmö which is playing host to this year’s Eurovision song contest. For package holidays, easyJet’s tour operator arm saw a boost in bookings for May, June and July, with Spain accounting for over a quarter of all summer 2024 beach sales and other beach bestsellers including the Algarve, Crete, Rhodes, Turkey and Tunisia. Families made up
over a third of beach bookings, while over 70% of sales were into 4* or 5* properties. All inclusive continued to dominate, with over 60% of beach bookers opting for this board basis. Recent research carried out by the airline in recent months showed more than two thirds of Brits (67%) have said they more likely to travel abroad in 2024 than in 2023. Protecting holiday spend remains a priority for most with over three quarters (77%) saying they will prioritise spending money on a holiday over anything else in their yearly budget – up from 70% last year.
UPDATES | 5
Portrait of Stena Line Owner Unveiled at Belfast Harbour as Ferry Operator Hits Record
Freight Volumes on NI Routes BELFAST Harbour has unveiled a specially commissioned portrait of Stena Line owner and Chairman, Dan Sten Olsson, at their Harbour Office in Corporation Square to celebrate the significant contribution the Swedish ferry operator has made to the Port and Region over the last three decades.
The unveiling comes as Stena Line marks a record
year for freight volumes on its Belfast routes with approximately 587,000 units being transported in 2023.
Painted by local artist, Ken Hamilton, the portrait was commissioned by Belfast Harbour to acknowledge the impact that Dan Sten Olsson and the investment of Stena Line has made to the development of Belfast Harbour in recent years. Stena Line moved to Belfast Harbour in 1995 and
since then, the Company has invested significantly in developing and improving its Irish Sea operations. The Irish Sea’s leading ferry company operates three routes from Belfast Harbour with combined passenger and freight services from Belfast to Cairnryan and Belfast to Liverpool, as well as a dedicated freight only route from Belfast to Heysham. A total of seven Stena Line ships move in and out of Victoria Terminals 1/2 and 4 in Belfast Harbour on a daily basis with the port also serving as Stena Line’s Irish Sea headquarters.
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