ABTA identifies key 2023 travel trends

UK travel agent association ABTA has released its Travel in 2023 report, identifying a set of key trends shaping the plans of holidaymakers in the coming year.

All-inclusive, all the way

ABTA found that 29 per cent of those surveyed are planning to take an all-inclusive holiday in 2023. This figure increases to 40 per cent for those aged 44 and under, and 57 per cent for those with young families.

The association said its members – including Travel Republic, Barrhead Travel, TUI, Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays – were all seeing increases in the number of bookings for all-inclusive breaks. It credited this to ‘people looking to lock in one total and upfront cost’ to better manage their money.

Popular destinations for all-inclusive trips include the Balearics, Canary Islands and Turkey.

‘Winter sun’ and longer trips

ABTA also found that 42 per cent of people have booked, or are planning to take, a winter break this year – with a fifth (22 per cent) of respondents citing a desire to ‘escape for some winter sun’ as their top motive.

Jet2holidays and MSC Cruises have both 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 reported an increase in bookings for longer trips of between 21 and 28 nights away this winter, compared with winter 2019. This was driven by holidays to ‘long-haul’ destinations such as Cape Verde, the Dominican Republic, Florida and Mexico.

Earlier and later bookings more common

ABTA’s members were experiencing a higher-than-average level of early bookings, including for travel in summer 2023, with easyJet holidays reporting that demand is being driven by the family market.

Booking early to get the best price for a holiday is the main incentive for around a third of those surveyed (31 per cent). However, a further 42 per cent were taking a more cautious approach to bookings – doing it later than normal to manage the impact of rising costs of living.

Travellers putting faith in the experts

ABTA also noted that more people are planning to consult a travel professional than pre-pandemic – with over a third (36 per cent) now likely to seek assistance.

Key reasons included the security of a package holiday (45 per cent), up-to-date advice (38 per cent) and good value for money (31 per cent).

This level of consideration extends to companies people plan to book with. Three quarters (75 per cent) said a well-known travel industry name will be a priority this year, up from 62 per cent in 2019. Similarly, 67 per cent valued previous experiences of booking with a specific company, compared with just over half (57 per cent) in 2019.

Those surveyed will also be more diligent around other less ‘exciting’ aspects of their booking, with 71 per cent looking to take out a good travel insurance policy, and 63 per cent paying closer attention to terms and conditions.

Booking.com recently published its own list of 2023 travel trends, covering where people want to go, inspirations for travelling, and how  budget plays a big role in their plans.