Nearly a third of consumers are planning to take an all-inclusive holiday next year as they believe it will help them “manage” their finances during the cost-of-living crisis.
Research published today (November 17) in Abta’s Travel Trends 2023 report show 29% of people want to take an all-inclusive holiday, rising to 40% among those aged 44 and under and 57% of young families.
The trade association said members – including Travel Republic, Barrhead Travel, Tui, Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays – were all seeing all-inclusive bookings increase.
French all-inclusive resort operator Club Med reported all-inclusive products had overtaken self-catering for the first time ever ahead of this winter’s sports season.
Abta reported popular all-inclusive destinations included the Canary Islands, the Balearics and Turkey.
The Travel Trends report also showed people are 36% more likely to book with a travel professional now than before the pandemic.
The top reasons for booking with a travel professional were the security of a package holiday (45%), accessing up-to-date advice (38%) and good value for money (31%).
Around 75% of consumers – up from 62% in 2019 – believe booking with “a well-known name in the travel industry will be an important part of the booking process” next year.
Emma Brennan, head of media and communications at Abta, said ‘hibernation holidays’ were on the rise for 2023.
Hibernation holidays are extended winter breaks “which allow people to swap the cold, damp days of the UK for warmer, sunnier locations are proving popular”, Abta said.
Abta’s Travel Trends report says four in 10 people (42%) have either booked or are considering talking a winter break this year.
Jet2holidays and MSC Cruises reported strong sales for long-stay holidays to the Canary Islands this winter, where overall scheduled airline capacity is reported to be up by a third on 2019 levels in response to high demand from the UK and Ireland.
Tui has also seen a spike in 21-night getaways versus winter 2019, driven mainly by long-haul destinations such as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Florida and Cape Verde.
EasyJet holidays is tapping into the market with a new range of 28-night packages to popular destinations like Turkey, Malta and Portugal aimed at retirees and remote workers.
The Travel Trends report also said that 93% of people say being on holiday improves their well-being and mental health, with two-thirds (65%) putting this down to the chance “to escape from the stresses of life”.