Travelopia Tailormade has reported a marked rise in repeat bookings for this summer and for winter sun holidays, presenting a ‘captive market’ for the trade to capitalise on.
The group’s three leading tour operator brands, Citalia, Sovereign Luxury Travel and American Holidays, have all highlighted the trend.
Repeat bookings for all three brands for this summer have been up by as much as 40%.
For Citalia, there has been a notable increase in demand for the Italian lakes year on year while Sicily has also proved popular driven by demand for Taormina and Cefalu.
Sovereign reported a shift towards extended shorter breaks, with consumers opting for a more luxury short stay rather than a seven, 10 or 14-night break. Spain is the most popular destination due to its accessibility for short breaks.
American Holidays noted a cross section of popular destinations, with New England in particular enjoying a 50% increase year on year of repeat bookings.
For winter sun bookings across all three brands, the volume of repeat bookers has increased its share of bookings by a quarter, from half in 2023-2024 to three-quarters for 2024-2025.
Nearly half (42%) of Sovereign’s winter sun bookings are from repeat clients, with Tenerife the most popular destination, making up a quarter of all repeat bookings. More than half (54%) of bookings are for departures in February 2025 and the average length of stay in 9.75 nights.
For Citalia, a quarter of all winter sun bookings are from repeat bookings, with the Italian cities of Venice, Rome and Florence the most popular. More than half, 54%, are for departures in November with an average stay of 5.3 nights.
American Holidays’ reported a fifth of its winter sun bookings across the US were for repeat customers, with Florida the most popular for November departures followed by New York. Average trips were for 11.6 nights.
The company said the repeat trend showed the value of working with existing clients to drive new sales or extend current bookings.
Marketing director Erin Johnson said: “Reassuringly there is still a strong commitment to holiday spend. However, guests are keen to ensure they are taking valuable time out to destinations and with agents and operators they know and trust.
“This is good news for us as tour operators and for agents, as well as across the wider supply chain, as it means there is already a captive market to engage with who know and appreciate a particular destination or hotel and are keen to revisit.
“Looking further ahead to 2025, beyond the winter months we are also already seeing a significant proportion of bookings as repeat for those guests keen to plan ahead as well as secure holidays for the winter sun season.”