Brits rush to book winter sun holidays in cheaper destinations

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Sun-seeking Brits are rushing to book winter holidays in cheaper upcoming destinations while increasingly paying for their trips in installments, boosting travel agents and airlines in a traditionally quietest of the year.

Major carriers and travel agencies have reported a surge in bookings, with strong demand for getaways to North Africa and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a healthy appetite for Mediterranean countries.

But as the cost of living continues to rise, more Brits are spreading the cost of their holiday over a longer period and booking either months in advance or months in advance. at the last minute to find the best deals, according to travel officials.

Garry Wilson, managing director of easyJet Holidays, said the budget airline's travel arm expects bookings in the year to September 2025 to be up around 25 per cent. cent compared to the previous 12 months, with Egypt and Tunisia driving growth in winter.

While Malta, Cyprus and Majorca remain popular, “many customers are looking to try new destinations. [and] for excellent value for money,” he said, adding that paying by monthly installments was “increasingly popular.”

Online travel agent On the Beach said this week that bookings for winter, which runs between November and April, were at record levels and up 25 percent year-on-year.

Bookings for Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt have soared 50% compared to winter 2023, and demand for the Mediterranean remains robust despite the wave of anti-tourism protests this year.

Managing director Shaun Morton said that although resorts in Greece and Turkey were extending the start and end of their seasons, Brits were attracted to “very good all-inclusives in North Africa” ​​with guaranteed sun.

The use of monthly installments has “never been more popular”, he added, with a current subscription rate of 80 per cent and winter bookings representing 15 per cent of the travel agent's total business. .

The race for winter sun at affordable prices takes place in a context of sustained demand for holidays following the pandemic. Consumer card travel spending rose 6% year-on-year in November, Barclays said this week, as “winter blues prompted Brits to book getaways”.

The average temperature in the UK in November was 6.6°C, according to the Met Office, the national weather service. During the same month, the average temperature in Marrakech, Morocco is 22°C, while the average daily maximum temperature in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, is 24.9°C.

Donat Rétif, chief executive of loveholidays, said hot weather in North Africa had boosted business, with bookings with the UK's largest online travel agency for Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt up 128 percent, 36 percent and 31 percent respectively compared to 2023.

The UAE is another popular destination: in October, Virgin Atlantic increased its flights from the UK to Dubai from three times a week to once a day, and loveholidays and On the Beach reported higher demand.

Chinese online travel agency Trip.com said Christmas bookings by British travelers to the United Arab Emirates, whose capital is Abu Dhabi, were up 170 per cent compared to last year.

Andy Washington, managing director for Europe, said the UAE had been boosted by being one of the first countries to open its borders after Covid and that milder temperatures in winter compared to summer were boosting sales. reservations.

Some 2,105 flights were scheduled to take off between Dubai and the UK between October and December, equating to more than 964,000 seats, the most ever offered in this quarter of the year, according to data analyst aeronautics Cirium.

Issam Kazim, director general of the Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said Britons, who are the second largest market after Indian travelers, were attracted by the country's “safety, security and infrastructure”.