UK travellers: short and long journeys for the first six months of 2017

UK travellers: short and long journeys for the first six months of 2017 - Iceland a big winner!

What are the short and long journey bookings for the next six months for UK travellers? Travellers from the United Kingdom are seeking ‘safe-haven’ destinations for their next holiday.

ForwardKeys, the traveller intelligence analyst, conducted a study on the UK traveller bookings for both short distance and long distance destinations in November 2016. ForwardKeys analyzes 16 million flight reservations daily and this data was used to integrate with charter booking data from market researcher GfK’s Leisure Travel Monitor.

The results showed that bookings for international departures from the United Kingdom has increased by 11.4% compared to the same period in 2015. The advance bookings show significant increases for flights to Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and Greece for the next six months into 2017. However, journeys to France and Turkey had few bookings than for the same period in 2015.

The bookings for long distance (long haul) destinations show an overall increase of 6.3%. Canada tops the list in terms of growth at more than 20%, followed by India (17% increase) and the Caribbean (8% increase). The United States, with a 21.6% market share, is growing at under 5%.

The short haul market shows an overall increase of 14.6%, year-on-year. Destinations to Spain, which has a 47.8% market share, has increased by 24%. In terms of growth, Iceland has increased by a massive 50%, although its market share stands at 2.3%.

Located in the North-Atlantic ocean close by the Arctic Circle, Iceland is about a three-hour flight from London. Due to the Gulf Stream, Iceland has a cool, temperate maritime climate, with surprisingly mild temperatures in winter. The Icelandic flag is blue with a red cross outlined in white. The colors are symbolic for three of the elements that make up the island: red is for the volcanic fires, white represents the snow and glaciers, and blue is for the sky.

The real significance is in the decreases – France down just under 15% and Turkey down 30%. Both countries have suffered significant terrorist attacks.

If only leisure trips are considered, the GfK's Leisure Travel Monitor also shows travellers are returning to traditional and perceived ‘safer’ destinations. Bookings are being made earlier as customers are keen to get the holiday of their choice. Analysis of bookings for the next six months of departure shows a 13% increase in passenger numbers.

In terms of leisure destinations, maintaining the trend for the last two years, at a growth of 26% Spain is continuing to benefit, accounting for just over 66% of the incremental growth. Bookings for ocean cruises have increased by 38%, Greece by 25%, Cyprus by 28%, and Portugal by 25% - these are the top five leisure destinations based on absolute passenger growth.

With a combined decrease of just under 80,000 passengers compared to the previous year, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia are the main declining countries for UK citizen’s leisure holiday choices.

http://www.gfk.com/en-gb/insights/press-release/uk-travellers-seek-out-safe-haven-destinations-in-wake-of-terror-attacks/

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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