Consumers are planning long-haul holidays as far our as summer 2023 as Covid travel curbs limit immediate international travel, new data from Blue Bay Travel shows.
Most interest is being shown in the Maldives, followed by Thailand, Mauritius and Barbados.
The operator reported a major hike in longer-lead bookings across a range of destinations, with customers seeking to benefit from the breadth of availability and plan their holidays far in advance.
Half of bookings made between January and May are for travel in winter 2021-22, 19% for summer 2022 and 10% for winter 2022-23 and summer 2023.
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Bookings taken on May for winter 2021-22 breaks accounted for 38%, 22% for summer 2022 and 15% for winter 2022-23.
Group chief executive Alistair Rowland said: “We have seen a significant surge in traffic to our website and subsequently bookings as people are looking for a more exclusive, luxurious long-haul holiday following an unprecedented period of time and series of lockdowns as a result of the pandemic.
“Looking at the booking data, it is evident that the British public is still mindful of the imposing restrictions, keeping abreast of the current legislations and planning far in advance, emphasising the importance and need for long-term availability.
“Towards the end of May, we launched an unbeatable offer for the Furaveri Island Resort & Spa in the Maldives including a host of additional, complimentary benefits, prompting a surge in interest and bookings for this desirable destination for which we have seen a real appetite.”
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