The year ahead in travel trends
Two surveys have provided an interesting insight into what trends can be expected for UK holidaymakers this year
New research from the UK’s Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance has found that the most popular holiday getaway for UK travellers in 2016 will be city breaks, with 27 per cent of UK adults surveyed saying that they are planning a short stay in a city this year. Thirteen per cent said that they would be opting for a beach holiday, while 10 per cent said that a walking expedition was their preferred getaway and eight per cent listed spa or retreat holidays as their trip of choice. Those planning holidays also said that they expected to spend an average of £846 per person on the cost of the trip alone, before even factoring in spending money and other extras, with one in seven respondents saying that they had been saving for the whole of 2015 so that they could go on their desired trip this year, and one in 12 saying that they would make use of a credit card in order to spread the cost. Twelve per cent of forward-thinking respondents had already booked trips for 2016 by the end of October 2015, and 12 per cent said that they intended to make bookings this January. Tom Thomson, a spokesperson for Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance, said that ‘a good proportion of holidaymakers are early bookers, who plan ahead and like to have something to look forward to’.
In terms of booking outlets, twice as many holidaymakers (26 per cent of respondents) said that they expected to book independently with airlines and providers of accommodation than those who said that they planned to book via a travel agent (13 per cent), with the remainder stating that they were unsure about which booking avenue they would take.
Location, location, location
A separate report from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), released in collaboration with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, has found the 12 destinations that it expects UK holidaymakers to favour this year, as well as highlighting some other emerging and important trends in travellers’ habits, such as the fact that 23 per cent of travellers expect to spend more on their holidays in 2016 (up from 20 per cent in 2015) and 18 per cent saying that they would travel to a country that they had never been to before (compared with nine per cent last year). Additionally, 23 per cent plan to try a new resort or city, even in a country that they have visited previously, compared with 10 per cent who said the same in 2015.
ABTA’S ’12 destinations to watch’ for this year are:
- Abu Dhabi.
- Canada.
- China, specifically the Silk Road.
- France.
- Hawaii.
- Iceland.
- Iran.
- Italy, specifically Naples and Apulia.
- Peru.
- Poland.
- Australia, specifically Queensland.
- Sri Lanka.
Other key trends identified by ABTA include the fact that various factors (such as geopolitical uncertainty and generally favourable exchange rates) are prompting British holidaymakers to favour tried-and-tested destinations like the Western Mediterranean, particularly Spain. Thirty-nine per cent of those in high-paying jobs, meanwhile, plan to spend more in holidays in 2016 compared to an average of 23 per cent who said they would do so in 2015. Another trend, according to ABTA, is that of destinations seeking to transform and spruce themselves up in other to attract travellers from specific markets – Magaluf in Mallorca is an example cited – perhaps inspired by previous success stories in this area such as Barcelona in Spain and South Beach in Miami.
Long-haul holidays are also expected to be more popular, while older holidaymakers are likely to continue to travel further and seek out bolder and more adventurous activities and destinations – this latter news will no doubt be received with joy by travel insurers!