Late sales continue to be buoyant despite tightening availability and unrealistic consumer budgets, according to the trade.
Travel agents reported a shift from families to couples for bookings between now and October as the main school holiday reaches the midway point and said European hotspots remained the top sellers.
“I’d say a good 60% of what we are selling is for the next three months,” said Tony Mann, director of Bradford-based Idle Travel. “This morning we had two lots of customers waiting outside the door before we even opened.”
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Promoting late deals on social media and on boards outside the shop was driving customers into the agency to book last-minute holidays, he said, with more-affordable deals sourced by “tweaking” durations.
“We do have customers wanting to book an August holiday for £250 for a week,” he admitted, adding: “But people are still booking.
“Prices have held firm but there is still good value. I sold a couple a nine-night holiday to Majorca instead of 10; it was just that bit cheaper with better, daytime flights.”
Spear Travels also noted unrealistic price expectations but said the agency was encouraging families to book for 2025 instead if holidays this summer were out of their budget.
In July, 40% of the agency’s bookings were for departures in the next three months; last week’s figure was 46%. Average booking values increased in July by 10% on June.
Head of retail operations Natalie Turner said: “Customer budgets have been a challenge. Availability hasn’t appeared to cause too many issues, it has been price or budget which has been the main barrier [to sales]. Lates-wise, it has mainly been couples that have booked.”
Fred Olsen Travel reported strong sales for the next three months, accounting for a third of July’s bookings, also mainly by couples, but said its customers were less fixated on price.
“While some customers are budget-led, many are looking at four and five-star holidays and are more focused on getting the right holiday than a cheap holiday,” said director of retail Paul Hardwick.
“The Med is still the most popular place to book this summer but we’re seeing higher volumes move to September and early October to avoid the searing heat in July and August.”
The Advantage Travel Partnership reported 24% of bookings last week were for August departures but noted September sales from couples and friends were “equally strong”.
Commercial director John Sullivan said: “Demand over the last few weeks has been strong. The Canaries, Turkey, Spain and Greece remain the most popular with average selling prices ahead of last year. Cruise bookings also remain strong, although availability is becoming limited with prices holding.”
Hays Travel said the strong start to August sales included bookings for 2025 and into 2026 for cruise. Chief operating officer Jonathon Woodall-Johnston added: “We’re also still seeing high demand in the lates market, with people seeking good-value holidays to sunny destinations.”
Alistair Rowland, chief executive of tour operator Blue Bay Travel, noted clear evidence in the market of consumers prepared to “travel anywhere on a specific budget”.
“Lates are ‘very late’ this year for sure, and price and overall value is key,” he said, but added: “Availability is getting tighter.”