NEWS


ON THE RIGHT TRACK: Some of the 50 agents attending the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers’ Atas Experiences event in Lake Como this week experienced more sustainable travel options by travelling to Italy by rail. Pictured outside Sacre Coeur in Paris during a walking tour hosted by Intrepid Travel are Rebecca Berzins, Travel Counsellors; Clare Collins-Doyle, ITE; Marie Hart, Baldwins Travel; Stephen Roby, Eurostar; and Carrie Grant, Intrepid Travel. Once in Como, delegates were due to enjoy a range of experiences and excursions as well as training from Atas operators and business updates from Atas director Claire Brighton. See next week’s T


ravel Weekly for full coverage of the Atas Experiences Lake Como trip.


Research suggests heatwaves in Europe might affect travel plans


Ian Taylor and Juliet Dennis


Latest consumer research suggests a significant minority of holidaymakers may think twice about visiting the hottest parts of Europe in peak summer following last year’s heatwave. A survey of UK adults’


holiday intentions by market researcher Kantar found 28% of those planning a holiday this year agreed with the statement: ‘I am less likely to take a holiday in southern Europe due to the extreme weather conditions in recent years.’ One in five (22%) of those who


had visited southern Europe in the last 12 months also agreed. Kantar Media director Charlie


Gordon said “this was a new question” in a regular survey, explaining: “We saw striking scenes of heatwaves and flooding in 2023,


travelweekly.co.uk


particularly in southern Europe, and thought it interesting to consider whether it would start impacting how people feel about what they do.” He said: “I don’t think we


STORY TOP


expected to see numbers that strong. We should couch it by saying over a third didn’t think it was a factor. But over a quarter of people are asking, ‘Is it a good idea to book if it’s going to be 45 degrees?’ We’ll certainly want to keep an eye on that.” Gordon noted: “Those


who agreed were younger and less likely to cite [good] weather


as an important factor when booking a holiday.” He suggested: “We’re beginning to see a generational gap in what people look for from holidays.” Agents reported few signs of


consumer concerns about extreme weather affecting booking trends for this summer. Sandra Corkin, managing director of Northern Irish agency chain Oasis


Travel, said: “We did get clients changing their destination and time of travel at the time of the wildfires [last summer], but this is less apparent now. Some families have chosen Scandinavia to avoid extreme heat, but these are the minority. For peak summer, the usual destinations are proving most popular.” Seaside Travel brand manager


Richard Lowrey-Heywood said: “Our weekly reports from shop managers have no mention of anything to do with extreme weather.” Inspired Travel managing director


Kate Harris said: “I’ve not had any clients saying they are worried about the weather.” The Advantage Travel Partnership


chief commercial officer Kelly Cookes said price was driving more consumers to book in the shoulder seasons rather than climate, with the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Greece expected to remain this summer’s top sellers.


Heidi Evans, director of Oasis


Travel Worldchoice in Stoke-on- Trent, agreed: “People are going where they can with their budget.” Barrhead Travel president


Jacqueline Dobson urged the industry to monitor climate-related booking trends but said consumers were currently choosing holidays based on where they “genuinely want to go” rather than for cooler weather. However, a survey of 2,000


UK adults on behalf of Travel Counsellors in autumn last year found 40% said record summer temperatures in southern Europe in 2023 had affected their summer 2024 plans, with younger respondents most likely to agree. Travel Counsellors chief


executive Steve Byrne said: “We have seen similar data that shows people changing their plans to some extent. We’ve not picked that up [in bookings], but I think people will take it into account.”


21 MARCH 2024 5


LAKE COMOK


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