Surge in summer holiday bookings thanks to the over-50s as vaccinations are rolled out

Holiday bookings by the over-50s who are anticipating being able to travel after having the coronavirus vaccine is giving a much-needed shot in the arm to the industry.

Several companies say bookings from this age group have helped the sector with many now looking to head away for several weeks to make up for the lack of trips in 2020.

Pent up demand has led to a rise in bookings with popular destinations including Spain and Greece. However, Saga today has revealed that all holidaymakers who book with it will require the vaccine.

Holiday firms have also seen an increase in those booking ‘once in a lifetime’ trips for 2021 with overseas locations such as the US proving popular.

Spain is one of the most popular locations for holidaymakers this summer as bookings increase

Tui is one of the firms saying it has since a surge in interest from older generations.

A spokesperson for Tui said: ‘We’re seeing more interest in holidays from an age group that wasn’t coming through before, with the over-50s starting to book, we assume, on the back to the positive vaccine news.

‘Since the end of last year, bookings from this group have accounted for 50 per cent of all our web bookings, as customers long for a sunshine break later in summer, in particular in Greece, Turkey or the Balearics.’

It added many customers want to get away for longer this year, opting for 14, 10 or 11 nights instead of seven to make up for not having a holiday in 2020.

EasyJet has also seen a surge in bookings for this summer which are up 250 per cent on last year with May proving to be the most popular month for a holiday.

Popular destinations include Turkey, Spain – especially Tenerife and Majorca – Greece, the Algarve and Egypt. It added all-inclusive is proving most popular in terms of board basis.

Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: ‘We welcome that the much-needed vaccination programme is well underway across the UK and Europe as this is undoubtedly the key to unlocking travel again – giving some consumers confidence to book.

‘We have seen easyJet holidays bookings from our over-50s customers increase over the last few weeks in comparison to pre-Christmas, which suggests a further confidence boost from the vaccine roll out.

‘We know there is pent up demand – we have seen that every time restrictions have been relaxed and so we know that people want to go on holiday as soon as they can and so we will ensure we are ready to ramp up operations when customers start to take to the skies again.’

Trips to Greece are set to be popular this summer as are holidays to Spain, Turkey and the USA

Trips to Greece are set to be popular this summer as are holidays to Spain, Turkey and the USA

Meanwhile, Saga Holidays has announced it will only be allowing vaccinated travellers on its trips. 

The firm, which specialises in over-50 travel, added this means it will be moving the start date for its travel business to May. 

A spokesperson said: ‘The health and safety of our customers has always been our number one priority at Saga, so we have taken the decision to require everyone travelling with us to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. 

‘Our customers want the reassurance of the vaccine and to know others travelling with them will be vaccinated too. To allow our customers time to get vaccinated, we are moving the restart date for our Travel businesses to May. 

‘Our new vaccination policy will be in addition to the detailed arrangements we have already put in place for when cruises and other holidays restart.’ 

It added it has seen an increase in the number of people booking long-haul and once in a lifetime adventures in 2022 with bookings up 90 per cent.

Top destinations for holidaymakers include India, Australasia and Africa. 

Its data also shows people want to go away for longer with stays up from a previous average of 13 days to 18 – nearly a 40 per cent increase.

Meanwhile, 70 per cent of short haul bookings for November 2021 to January 2022 are for 21 nights or longer.

There has also been a 16 per cent increase in traffic to holidays website with a 98 per cent increase in conversion to sales suggesting those searching for trips are now more confident to book.

Chris Simmonds, chief executive of Saga Holidays, said: ‘We’ve seen an uptick in interest across our range in recent weeks, both for holidays this year and into 2022.

‘Many of our guests are hopeful that they will be able to travel again soon, with the vaccine providing them the optimism they need to start planning ahead.

‘Of course, given we cater exclusively for people aged over 50, many of our customers are near top of the queue for a vaccine which is giving them the confidence to start thinking about travelling again, as well as returning to other parts of normal life.’ 

Is it safe to book a holiday yet? 

Currently, holidaymakers are being advised against booking an overseas trip by the Government due to the ongoing pandemic.

All travel corridors were closed to protect against the new strains of virus entering or leaving the country. 

Now, anyone flying into the country from overseas will have to show proof of a negative Covid test before gaining entry. 

These rules are to be in place until at least 15 February when they will then be reviewed alongside the current lockdown measures.  

Whilst it is hoped millions more people will be vaccinated by summer, it is not guaranteed that travel to other countries will be available. 

As such, staycations are likely to be popular again this summer with areas such as Cornwall and the Cotswolds likely to see an influx of tourists.  

It is not just older people looking to book with 62 per cent of travellers saying they hope to book a holiday abroad in the next six months, up from 52 per cent in August 2020, according to ABTA.

An ABTA spokesperson said: ‘The vaccine developments have helped to boost consumer confidence. The lack of opportunities to travel this past year have led to huge pent up demand for holidays, with many people keen to book a break.

‘Our research shows two types of traveller will emerge this year – those who are eager to return to destinations they know and love and those who want to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

‘Popular destinations such as Spain, France and USA continue to feature among the favourite places holidaymakers plan to visit.’

It added its research also shows holidaymakers are 20 per cent more likely to book their holidays with a travel professional now than before the pandemic, primarily for the extra protection that comes with booking a package holiday and the advice available from a travel expert. 

This is because package holidays offer the best form of protection, and on top of the usual protections, many ABTA Members are also offering more flexible cancellation and rebooking policies.

Anyone flying into the UK from overseas will now have to provide a negative coronavirus test

Anyone flying into the UK from overseas will now have to provide a negative coronavirus test

Skyscanner said searches and bookings are down compared to the same time last year but it is seeing positive growth.

It said July 2021 is currently the most searched month for flights for UK travellers on the site with Faro, Malaga and Islamabad making up the top international destinations searched on the site for summer this year.

The booking site believes that when quarantine exemptions are announced in future, bookings for those locations will soar after holidays to Portugal spiked over 2,000 per cent immediately following the quarantine exemption announcement last year.   

Gavin Harris, Commercial Director at Skyscanner, said: ‘Safety is rightly paramount for travellers, and we’ve seen how engaged our community is as behaviours on our site have changed in line with the evolving news agenda and government advice.

‘We have seen increasing interest in travel since news of vaccine readiness broke in November last year and we expect this to continue as they are approved and delivered in 2021.’

Travelsupermarket added that whilst it doesn’t know the age of people booking holidays, it can see that sales of travel insurance policies have increased significantly for older customers for holidays which they are taking in four or more months time.

It found that June and July are currently the most popular months to lock in a holiday for.

Popular destinations include Spain, Greece and Turkey which are high on people’s short-haul beach break lists but it is also seeing people get excited about long haul visits, especially from September onwards, with New York and Las Vegas at the top of long haul lists.

Emma Coulthurst of TravelSupermarket said: ‘This year more than ever, the outbound travel sector needs to encourage customers to book. Holiday providers are reducing their prices in an attempt to claw back the business which they lost last year.

‘The competition is fierce for the British tourism pound after a really tumultuous annus horribilis 2020 for travel. 

‘As the vaccination programme gathers pace and there is more certainty of a return to the old normal, demand and prices are likely to pick up. Demand is not what it would normally be so you can also pick up some really low prices.’

This is Money contacted both Ryanair and Jet2 but they said they were unable to comment. 

How to protect your booking

There are a few ways travellers can protect their bookings if they want to make plans now. 

1.Purchase a ‘flexible’ ticket: This could mean that you’re entitled to a free date or destination change if you should need it, for example, if you have to isolate and can no longer fly.  

2. Get travel insurance: This is essential as it can protect you against cancellations and changes to your holiday. 

Some policies will cover changes if you should catch Covid-19 but ensure you check the wording carefully before purchasing. 

Whilst the EHIC is no more, you can now get your hands on the Global Health insurance card. 

3. Book a package holiday: Rather than book your holiday elements separately, you can pay your deposit, safe in the knowledge that you have Package Travel Regulation and ATOL protection and your money back if restrictions prevent the holiday going ahead. 

4. Pay with a credit card: When booking, ensure you pay with a credit card as this will give you more protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act plus you can use chargeback.  

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