DESTINATIONS TRAVEL IN 2021 | TRENDS 3 SELF-DRIVE BREAKS


The desire for self-contained styles of travel has increased as travellers look to minimise contact with others, yet the appeal of a self-drive – going where you want, when you want, with no schedule to stick to – is not just about Covid-19. The difference this year was that rather than a fly-drive through the Canadian Rockies or campervan trip around New Zealand, people have set their sights closer to home. But with clients having rediscovered the joy of travelling at their own pace, self-drives will continue to sell well. Heather McKinlay, founder and director of McKinlay Kidd, says: “The road trip has increased enormously in attraction, giving people the freedom to explore in a self-contained way. Some of the most popular are week-long or even fortnight-long, multi-centre trips, such as touring the southwest of England, Scotland’s far north coast (pictured) or a circuit of Wales. Scottish island-hopping adventures also have strong appeal.”


LATE BOOKINGS


With uncertainty over travel corridors, local lockdowns and entry requirements on arrival, many customers are booking as close to their departure date as possible, reluctant to commit their cash until the last minute in case things change – a trend likely to continue into early 2021, at least. Karl Thompson, managing director of Sandals representative Unique Caribbean Holidays, says: “Before the second lockdown in England, we reported a third of our business for 2020 was late business – trips due to depart within three months of the booking date – and towards the end of the second lockdown, our late business picked back up again. During the peak of our Black Friday sale, between November 24 and December 1, most bookings were for December 2020 departures, and 29% were for departures within the next three months. Agents have fed back to us that clients are chomping at the bit to snap up last-minute deals before the rules change again.”


4


VILLA HOLIDAYS


Offering both space and seclusion, villas have rocketed in popularity this year, as travellers eschew the company of others in favour of a place they can call their own. That looks set to continue in 2021 too, as multigenerational families or groups of friends look for somewhere to reconnect with loved ones they haven’t seen for far too long. Pete Brudenell, head of marketing at CV Villas, says: “We’ve seen an uplift over the last three weeks and at the end of last week we were up 33% year on year. We’ve seen new bookings increase 7% in share versus repeat, which may suggest more people moving from hotel holidays. Mintel’s recent report on holiday rentals also suggested a more even split between preference for villas over hotels, which ties in with what we’re seeing.” Short-haul spots such as Greece and Italy are up 37% and 32% respectively for the company, with Corfu and Puglia most popular.


² travelweekly.co.uk 17 DECEMBER 2020 29


PICTURES: Shutterstock; G Adventures/Roland Koch


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48