Continued from page 48
future consumer spending.” Conclusions about the
strength of the UK market are more difficult to draw from Tui’s results as the group doesn’t break down the figures by country. Group-wide bookings were up 8% year on year for the current winter and summer seasons to February 4, with a 4% increase in average sales price for both seasons (Travel Weekly, February 15). Tui also reported it had 700,000 more bookings than a year ago across winter and summer by early February, with chief executive Sebastian Ebel saying: “Demand for all key medium and short-haul destinations is up. There is a very strong landscape for tour operators.” UK summer bookings were
only 3% up year on year, but Ebel noted how “very strong” UK bookings were in the first weeks of last year and hailed the UK as “a very attractive, very stable market”, insisting: “The UK has had a very strong winter.” Speaking at Tui’s annual
general meeting, he said: “Our travel agencies and partner sales in the UK are showing very good growth.” He also reported a recovery
in bookings to Egypt this winter, saying the destination had “come back very strongly” after being hit by Israel’s war on Gaza. Ebel reported Tui’s financial
year to the end of September 2023 was “also successful in strengthening the balance sheet”, noting: “We were able to repay the coronavirus state aid in full.” Tui reported no increase in
its €4.4 billion in debt since the end of September – unusual for a tour operator in winter.
Poll finds 41% of Scots plan a holiday in Europe
Ian Taylor
Two out of five adults in Scotland plan an overseas holiday in Europe this year and an additional 12% plan a long-haul holiday. That is according to a survey of
more than 1,000 adults at the end of January by research firm 56 Degree Insight which found 41% of Scots planning a European holiday, up two percentage points on a year ago. Three out of four respondents
(75%) said they plan a holiday, overseas or domestic, this year despite two in five (38%) reporting the high cost of living would likely impact on their holiday decision. The survey found four out of five (82%) of those planning holidays in Europe and 86% planning long-haul trips likely to book two or more months in advance, and one in three (34%) more likely to book with a tour operator this year because of the consumer protection this offers.
US agents book record flights by value in January
US travel agency sales of flights hit a record $8.9 billion at the start of this year, surpassing the level of January 2020, according to the latest Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) data. The figure was up 7% on January
2023, with passenger bookings also up 7% year on year at 25.6 million, and bookings of international flights up 6% year on year.
46 22 FEBRUARY 2024 Edinburgh airport Three out of 10 respondents
(29%) said they were concerned about the cost of overseas holidays, on a par with a year ago but down four percentage points on the result last August, and roughly half as many respondents (16%) expressed concern at the exchange rate of the pound. But 36% said they would reduce
spending elsewhere to protect their holiday budget. The survey found half (51%) of respondents less likely to eat out and 44% less likely to take day trips because of the cost of living.
It found 39% of adults in Scotland
had a holiday in Europe in 2023, up six percentage points on the previous year, with Spain the most popular destination, chosen by 17% of all Scots – almost half of whom went to the Canary Islands – followed by France with 5% and Italy, Turkey, Portugal and Greece each on 4%. The researchers suggested
Scotland’s domestic tourism suffered last year both from pressures on spending and more Scots taking overseas trips. They suggested this year “looks slightly more promising” for domestic holidays but noted “evidence that domestic trips will be shorter with more cautious spend”, while “trips to
Europe are likely to increase”. O 56 Degree Insight surveyed 1,006 adults in Scotland on January 27-29 for its quarterly Scotland’s Viewpoint survey. To read the report, visit:
56degreeinsight.com/scottish- tourism-index
Booking numbers remained
down on the January 2020 figure of 28.3 million, but the average ticket price was up 3% year on year at $546 and 14% higher than in 2020. Agency ancillary transactions were also up 39% year on year and 37% in value. ARC chief commercial officer
Steve Solomon hailed “a promising start” to the year and noted: “Business travel also had a solid month with corporate travel agency trips increasing 7% year on year.” In 2019, US agency sales of
flights hit a record $97.4 billion in value and more than 302 million trips. Last year, passenger bookings
Atlanta, Georgia
revived to almost 269 million, worth $95.3 billion. The ARC handles the billing and
settlement of flight sales by agents in the US. It is owned by a coalition of leading US carriers and Air Canada.
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Shutterstock/nitsawan katerattanakul
PICTURE: Shutterstock/Darryl Brooks
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