European cruises are the third most booking holiday type taking place in 2024 – overtaking short-haul city breaks, according to new data from Your Co-op Travel.
The Norwegian fjords (pictured) were the top spot for cruises in 2023 – following a 46% year-on-year increase in bookings – and are also number one for cruises in 2024, ahead of the Caribbean and Canary Islands.
Bookings for cruises rose by 56% last year over 2022, according to the Midcounties Co-operative travel agency arm.
The group also reported that travellers are prioritising long-haul holidays this year, with Barbados and the Maldives both featuring in the top 10 list of most booked locations for the first time in recent years.
Knocking short-haul destinations including Costa Del Sol and Fuerteventura off of traveller’s wish lists, the latest booking data also found the average length of a trip in 2024 will be nine days, with the post-pandemic holiday boom continuing into the new year as holidaymakers look to make the most of their annual leave.
Reykjavik is the most popular location for bookings with in-house operator Co-op Holidays for the third year in a row, while Iceland has taken the third spot for the most booked country behind the US and Spain.
Co-op Holidays connect and e-commerce manager Natalie Quiney said: “Despite the cost-of-living crisis, our research into trending destinations for 2024 has found long-haul travel is continuing to grow in popularity, with travellers prioritising holidays whilst getting more for their money with visits to far flung destinations such as the Maldives and Barbados for their 2024 trips.
“It’s also unsurprising to see cruises sailing up holidaymaker’s wish lists, as with a host of onboard amenities and the ease of discovering bucket list locations like the Norwegian fjords or Caribbean islands being accessible by sea, hopping on board a ship can be a great way to travel whether with friends or cross-generational family groups.”
The top three most popular holiday types for bookings departing in 2024 for Your Co-op Travel:
- Short-haul beach holidays
- Long-haul beach holidays
- Short-haul cruise
The 10 most popular holiday destinations for bookings departing in 2024:
- Tenerife
- Antalya
- Majorca
- Dalaman
- Lanzarote
- Costa Blanca
- Barbados
- Maldives
- Gran Canaria
- Crete
The top three most popular cruise destinations for bookings departing in 2024 :
- Fjords and Norway
- Caribbean
- Canary Islands
The 10 most popular holiday destinations for bookings departing in 2024 for Co-op Holidays:
- Reykjavik
- New York
- Las Vegas
- Malta
- Krakow
- USA multi-centre – New York & Las Vegas
- Dubrovnik
- Dublin
- Algarve
- Costa Blanca
The 10 most popular countries for bookings departing in 2024for Co-op Holidays:
- US
- Spain
- Iceland
- Italy
- Portugal
- Poland
- Malta
- Ireland
- Croatia
- France