India, Japan and Borneo have been among the most popular long-haul locations booked with Newmarket Holiday in the first weeks of 2024.
The escorted tours specialist has seen “remarkable growth” in bookings to long-haul destinations following a positive start to the year that has been led by travel agents and seen bookings return to pre-Covid levels.
Italy has maintained its place as the company’s most popular short-haul option, with new tours of Milan, Verona & Lake Garda, and a Venice to Rome option, adding to the popularity of the country.
Product, purchasing & operations director Verity Rice said: “We’re thrilled to report a remarkable growth in bookings for long-haul destinations which are outperforming last year and, in many cases, beating 2019 sales.
“There’s a real taste for the exotic. We launched three new India tours in 2023 and all are booking ahead of expectations.
“Japan, which we dropped as a destination in 2019, has shone following the introduction of a new Japan Unveiled itinerary in September and Borneo is a rainforest adventure that shows travellers have no worries going off the beaten path when they have the support of a group.
“Travel agents are playing a massive part in the success by giving their customers the confidence to seek out destinations that are normally off their radar.”