Industry analyst GfK reported UK summer 2019 bookings down 10% year on year in the week to Saturday March 23, after a 7% decline the previous week.
However, bookings of outbound holidays in the most-recent comparison week in 2018 were “very strong” at 18% up on 2017, meaning trading was broadly on a par with two years ago.
Season-to-date bookings for the summer are now just 1% up on a year ago, having fallen from about 4% up at the end of January, with the season-to-date average selling price not quite 2% up year on year.
Winter 2018-19 bookings remained 4% up for the season to last Saturday and were up 2% in the week to March 23, with the current season now almost sold.
Bookings for April departures remain 13% up on last year, reflecting the fact that Easter falls in the second half of the month this year when it straddled late March and early April last year.
GfK senior client insight director David Hope said: “Brexit is all over the news and people are holding back awaiting an outcome. If it drags on, there will be people who decide to stay home.”
But he added: “Brits will travel if the price is right.”
The UK Office of National Statistics issued data confirming 2018 was a record year for outbound holidays from the UK with the number of overseas holidays hitting 47.15 million, up 1% on 2017 which was also a record year.
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