Wet weather prompts holiday search
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Britain’s wettest June has prompted people to escape to the sun and search for a holiday, according to some travel companies.
Travel giant Thomson has seen website hits surge in the last three months, with searches up 20% in June compared to last year. The company had a “very strong weekend” in bookings and with more rain predicted, is hoping the bookings continue rolling in.
The favourable pound-to-euro exchange rate has helped boost Europe destinations, while a report by the Daily Mirror said Brits are heading to the USA, South Africa and Caribbean (and usually with a larger pricetag) to guarantee the sun.
Online agency HolidaysPlease has also seen a boost this month, with others on Twitter declared they were having a busy week. ABTA has also announced its members have seen a 20% increase in searches during June and expects 13 million Brits to head overseas in July and August. On the Beach has seen 20% increase in sales to Europe in recent weeks, with Thomas Cook said to have less holidays available than this time last year. ABTA added that three million Brits are keen to escape from the Olympics.
“The constant rain is driving all of us around the bend, so it’s no wonder that so many people are looking to head off to get some sunshine”, said Nathan Timmins, head of online marketing at Thomson. “With rain forecast for the rest of the week we imagine that the website will keep attracting more users, as people look to research and book their holidays or just get some inspiration and take their mind off the rain”.