The Advantage Travel Partnership says UK airports are gearing up for a “very busy October half term” for travel in spite of cost-of-living concerns.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive at the consortium, said: “Across our agent partners we’ve seen a strong take-up in bookings and the airports are expecting millions of customers to travel over the next week.
“Stansted, for example, is expecting to see 800,000 passengers pass through the airport over the half-term period.
“With sales ahead by 5% compared to pre-pandemic trading, Brits are demonstrating that they continue to have a huge appetite to travel, despite the dire economic backdrop.”
She said popular destinations include Lanzarote, Tenerife and Alicante, with many families opting for all-inclusive packages, “which always offer great value”.
Average booking values are on average 16% higher compared to 2019 with 94% of agents across Advantage seeing an increase in new customers, 30% of which are from those aged 35 to 44.
“Travel post Covid and Brexit remains complex, and we are finding that holidaymakers are more than ever looking for personal human interaction when making their travel arrangements,” she added.
Meanwhile, an M&S Bank survey of more than 2,000 Brits has found that holidaymakers plan to spend an average of £393 per person on overseas trips this October half-term.
However, almost two in five of those not going away say they are not travelling because of the rising cost of living.
It tipped the Bulgarian capital of Sofia as the best-value destination for half-term, as a five-day break works out at £271 per person.