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NEWS 1


Cruise bookings for this winter are up 4% year on year


YOU NEED TO KNOW


Cruise bookings up 2% across all seasons


L CRUISE


Cruise bookings are running 2% up year on year across all seasons on sale, with UK ocean passenger numbers expected to have surpassed two million for


the first time in 2018. GfK reported cruise bookings


in the week to January 12 down 1% year on year against a strong comparison week a year ago. However, cumulative bookings for the current winter season were up 4% year on year to the end of last week and early sales for winter 2019-20 up 7%. Only UK cruise bookings for this summer were down for the season to date, by 1%. The figures come off the


Bookings in January’s first full week down on 2018


Ian Taylor and Juliet Dennis


he ϐirst full trading week of the peak sales period saw bookings down ʹΨ on the comparable week a year ago across the three main seasons on saleǤ Industry analyst GfK reported bookings in the week to Saturday, January 12, up 2% year on year for the current winter, but summer 2019 bookings down 3% on the comparable week in 2018 and winter 2019-20 bookings down 1%. However, GfK senior client


insight director David Hope noted the ϐirst full trading week of ʹ01ͺ was “particularly strong” with summer 2018 sales up 7% against 2017. He reported package holidays


performing ahead of the market this year, with package sales for winter 2018-19 up 5% year on year in the week to last Saturday. Hope said: “It’s disappointing


the market was down [in the week], but it’s not a bad position with everything that is going on.” The package market for summer


2019 remains 7% up for the season to date, with cumulative revenue for the summer more than two percentage points ahead of bookings – broadly in line with ovemberǯs


inϐlation rate of ʹǤ͵ΨǤ ecemberǯs inϐlation rate was


due to be released on Wednesday. Bookings for winter 2018-19


remain 5% up year on year for the season to date. The latest GfK data comes off


the back of a 5% year-on-year rise in bookings last summer. However,


4travelweekly.co.uk17 January 2019


“People seem to be taking longer to decide and it’s taking more aggressive discounting”


it appears to show a shift away from


destinationsǡ reϐlecting


concerns about the exchange rate amid uncertainty about Brexit. There was a 4% decline in bookings to the EU across all seasons in the week to January 12, and a 5% drop in summer bookings – including an 11% decline to the Balearics – yet a 2% increase to non-EU destinations. Turkey saw a 13% rise in bookings and North Africa a 28% increase. Long-haul operator Wendy


Wu Tours reported having to work harder to convert sales.


back off a record year for UK cruise bookings in 2018. Cruise association Clia confirmed UK passenger numbers rose 2.1% year on year in the nine months to September off the back of a 3.2% increase in the peak summer months.


However, global sales director John Warr reported trade bookings outperforming the direct market. “January saw a slow start but is


getting stronger,” he said. “People seem to be taking longer


to make a decision and it’s taking more-aggressive discounting.” Barrhead Travel reported a


10% year-on-year rise in summer sales following the ϐirst full week of January. President Jacqueline Dobson said: “Majorca is the top choice, [but] we’ve noticed a resurgence for beach resorts in Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria.” Teletext Holidays reported a


17% rise in bookings year on year on the ϐirst unday of anuaryǤ Hoseasons reported bookings


of domestic short breaks up 27% year on year through the trade between Christmas and New Year.


PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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