UK agents gear up for ‘Sunshine Saturday’
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‘Sunshine Saturday’ (7th January) is predicted to be the busiest day of the year for holiday bookings according to leading holiday companies Thomson and First Choice.
Following Brexit, the holiday companies are predicting a rise in all-inclusive bookings as savvy Brits seek value from their holiday experiences, with Thomson and First Choice expecting to see more than 27,500 customers book a holiday for 2017 on ‘Sunshine Saturday’. Currently for 2017, Thomson has already seen all-inclusive holidays make up over half (53%) of bookings for the coming year.
The holiday companies are expecting nearly one million holiday-seekers to go online or visit their high street stores this Saturday, with bookings predicted to peak in-store at 2.07pm specifically and online at 4.02pm, with Thomson Gateshead Metro Centre expected to be the busiest store on the day.
A new mobile booking record for 2017 is also predicted to be set. Thomson and First Choice are forecasting more people than ever before will search for and book their holiday on a tablet or smartphone. Forty-three per cent of the online bookings made this Saturday are expected to be made via these devices, up 4% versus last year (2016).
Short and mid-haul beach destinations such as the Balearics, mainland Greece and the islands of Corfu and Rhodes will continue to remain firm favourites with Brits according to Thomson, however far flung, long-haul hotspots are again expected to top the wish list in 2017. With more than three-quarters of people (77%) happy to travel more than nine hours to find their perfect break, many more are expected to book exotic holidays in 2017 with Vietnam, Cuba’s Cayo Santa Maria and St Lucia topping the list of predicted ‘hot’ long-haul destinations next year.
Following this theme, Thomson Cruises will also see long-haul a focus for winter 2017 with more ships based in the Caribbean than ever before and exciting new ports of call added. Thomson Cruises’ Caribbean Gems and Coral Islands winter itineraries on-board the Thomson Celebration will allow passengers to explore countries like the Dominican Republic from the ship’s new home port of La Romana. All-inclusive ships TUI Discovery and new addition TUI Discovery 2 will also be joining Thomson Celebration in the Caribbean and will sail out of Bridgetown, Barbados and Montego Bay, Jamaica respectively. Recently named ‘Best New Ship’ TUI Discovery will sail new itineraries Tropical Horizons and Seven Isles from Barbados, which include new ports of call St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Taking all these holidaymakers away over the coming year, Thomson Airways is estimated to carry over 180,000 tonnes of luggage, flying over 107 million miles to 92 holiday destinations.
Andrew Flintham, commercial director for Thomson and First Choice said: “With plenty of great deals on offer, we’ve already seen a rise in all-inclusive bookings for 2017 as customers seek value for money from their holiday experiences following the Brexit decision.
“This year will see Brits travelling to more exotic destinations such as Vietnam and Cuba, with our multi-centre and city break holidays making long-haul destinations more accessible than ever before.”
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