Abta highlights late-booking opportunity for young summer travellers

Abta says there is an opportunity for travel agents to sell more late deals to younger customers this month after new research.

The association’s new data shows 44% of 18 to 24 year olds are either considering or have booked an overseas holiday for this month compared with a national average of 31%.

August is more popular for this age group than both July (40%) and June (29%) despite the fact young people are no longer restricted to only going away during the school holidays.

Research also highlighted that 9% of this age group who wanted to go away between May and September intended to book extremely late, less than two weeks before departure, suggesting many had still to book their holiday this month.

The study was carried out by The Nursery Research and Planning with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults between May 8 and May 19, 2026.

Graeme Buck, director of communications at Abta, said: “August is a particularly busy month for young people travelling abroad, and our research suggests there are still those who are planning to travel but haven’t yet made those final decisions, even as little as two weeks’ out from their departure date.

“Whether they are booking the trip themselves, or getting the help of their parents, travel professionals can play an important role in helping them find the right holiday, particularly for those who may be booking their first trip without parents or family.”