Traveltek Trends positive despite uncertain climate
G
iven the precarious politico- economic situation, it might be surprising to hear that data on UK bookings made via the Traveltek
platform showed a modest increase in outbound-booking quantity and value in the first half of 2019 compared with 2018. More than two million bookings are
made via the Traveltek platform each year, providing considerable opportunity to gauge travel trends globally and per specific region. Given the current climate, we took a deep
dive into UK booking trends year on year to understand what effect this has had on UK leisure travel. Having analysed the data, we found the industry has so far proven resilient.
Booking growth There has been a clear rise in the number of package bookings, with 10% more reservations in the first half of 2019 compared with the previous year. This may be linked to introduction of the new Package Travel Regulations, which offer more security for customers, and shows a clear desire for protection in a volatile environment. The UK cruise market has been particularly
buoyant, with growth in bookings of about 15% on 2018. Year-on-year bookings were up in every month in the first half of 2019. Significantly, the average value of UK
cruise bookings also increased, by almost 40% from £3,800 to £5,200. This boost may be due to clients on the Traveltek platform
UK outbound bookings remain positive despite Brexit, argues Traveltek’s Cressida Sergeant
being able to drive cruise-package sales using the dynamic-packaging software available. The cruise industry is making waves
globally as one of the fastest-growing travel sectors. It is encouraging to see these results positively reflecting that trend. We also analysed popular destinations.
European countries continue to dominate the top 10, but some destinations appear to have made a comeback. Turkey ranks as the sixth-most popular destination for UK holidaymakers, suggesting it has bounced back from the political challenges of recent years. Conversely, the UAE dropped down the
rankings in 2018 which could be due to currency fluctuations and the increased price of goods in the region. Overall, the results display a mainly positive picture despite the unsettled situation. Concerns remain that a no-deal Brexit could have a negative effect. However, ahead of October, it would appear the UK population had just decided to get on and book.
Spain and Italy attract the highest number of overseas visitors staying in commercial accommodation. Germany and France attract the highest number of domestic visitors (Figure 55)
FIGURE 55: ARRIVALS IN COMMERCIAL ACCOMMODATION, 2018 International
Domestic million
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 63m 53m 39m 43m* 27m 17m 21m 19m 14m** 66m
France Germany Italy Spain UK
Austria Croatia Greece
Netherlands Portugal
*2016 data **2017 data Figures rounded Source: Eurostat
million
120 150
30 60 90
0 140m 119m 79m* 65m 65m 25m 27m 23m**
France Germany Italy Spain UK
Netherlands Poland Sweden
*2016 data **2017 data Figures rounded Source: Eurostat
Travel Weekly Europe Report 2019 | 35
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