Holiday Booking Rush Expected in Q1 2011

A survey by Sainsbury's Travel Insurance suggests January and February may be bumper months for the travel industry, as people seek to cheer themselves up with their next holiday in 2011.

Despite concerns about the financial climate and the VAT rise in the UK, participants in the survey indicated that over 13 million people will make a holiday booking by the end of February. Half of those surveyed indicated they intended to travel to Europe and six per cent said they would visit America. Holidays in the UK were a popular option, with almost a third saying they would choose a 'staycation' in the UK rather than finding holidays abroad.

According to the survey results, the estimated spend on these bookings could reach £11 billion, providing a welcome boost for the travel industry after a challenging end to 2010. Sainbury's Travel Insurance said such figures would be an increase of 49 per cent on spending around this time in 2010. Given that the average amount spent on holidays is down by one per cent compared to 2010, the survey results come as quite a surprise.

Scott Gorman, Manager at Sainsbury's Travel Insurance, attributed the promising survey results to the difficult winter. "A lot of people will be fed up with the winter snow and travel delays or cancellations they have had to endure in 2010, particularly over Christmas," he said. "This may lead to a significant increase in people intending to book a holiday to give them something to look forward to in the New Year."
Jan 21, 2011

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