The associations Holiday Habits report suggests that demand stays strong, with the 12 months leading to August 2023 showing typical pre-pandemic levels of holiday appetite.
52% of the UK population headed abroad on a holiday in that period, with an average of 1.4 holidays each, which lines up with pre-pandemic levels over the last 10 years.
Two thirds of respondents for the Holiday Habits report suggested they intend to take an overseas trip in the next 12 months.
Price-driven decisionmaking remains a key consideration for those booking a holiday, as the main motivation for 42% of respondents: guests are turning to agents and package options to push their budget furthest.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive at ABTA – The Travel Association, said: "Over the past 12 months, household budgets have continued to be stretched by the rising cost of living while travel has been hit by a variety of challenges – including wildfires and an unprecedented air traffic control outage.
"Despite this, people’s commitment to their holidays, and their confidence in travel, remain strong. This is due in no small part to the hard work and tenacity of our members, who have worked tirelessly to find the best value break for their customers' budgets and supported them when things haven’t quite gone to plan.
"For the first time, our Holiday Habits report includes a Travel Confidence Index, which will allow us to measure more accurately people’s confidence levels. This gives us a greater understanding of the degree to which external factors like economic challenges or large-scale disruption affect people’s overall confidence to travel."
Find the full Holiday Habits report at www.abta.com/holidayhabits2023-24.
