Tunisia could be next year’s hot destination while self-catering holidays will continue to suffer in 2010, according to figures revealed at this year’s Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) conference.
Speaking at the event, which started today in Cochin, Kerala, GfK Ascent-MI managing director Sarah Smalley said Tunisia has benefited greatly from the addition of 20,000 passenger seats during the summer.
With the average sales price £300 cheaper than Egypt, she believes the destination could come into its own next summer.
However, Smalley warned that following a 20% drop in sales for self-catering this summer, it is already 30% down year on year for next summer.
She added: “Self catering firms must really shout the message of the value they offer.” Overall, the summer 2009 market was down 10% while the summer 2010 market is down 12% to date, she added.
However, she said the forthcoming winter season has been hit hardest and is down 19%, largely because winter holidays are often considered as second holidays and are therefore more expendable.
Summer 2009 also saw a rise in popularity for all-inclusive holidays, which accounted for 20% of all bookings, while the groups market also proved popular with one in five bookings taken being for five or more people.
Group bookings are also currently popular for 2010, accounting for 30% of all bookings in the year to date, largely because of the need to book earlier, she added.
Smalley said agents had suffered less during summer 2009 than online channels because of the trust they engender and their ability to upsell.
She added average selling prices for summer 2009 were up, thanks to capacity cuts leading to less late sales, and predicted the possibility of further capacity cuts for summer 2010.
Smalley said fewer late deals also meant one million fewer bookings were taken this summer for holidays worth £600 or less, which also meant greater profitability for the trade.