Baby boomers approaching their sixtieth birthdays will be the driving force in next year’s holiday market.
Thomson sales director Derek Jones said as older customers become increasingly adventurous, they will look to spend more on breaks celebrating the landmark birthday.
He added: “They don’t want to grow old gracefully.”
Meanwhile, Jones predicted Cape Verde and the west coast of Canada, which have seen bookings increase by 30% and 35% respectively, will be holiday hot spots next year as well as Marrakesh and Cape Town.
On-line bookings will continue to grow with Thomson expecting 60% of all of next year’s bookings to be made through the internet while sports tourism will be driven by next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.
Regional departures will continue to gorw following this year’s increases which has seen Coventry, Durham Tees Valley and Newcastle up by 623%, 159% and 62% respectively.
Overall regional airports have grown by 26% as opposed to 11% growth from Gatwick and Heathrow.
Jones added the popularity of small boutique hotels will continue to grow as customers save more money on low-cost airlines.