Distribution Strategies

A report in the UK has highlighted that the package holiday is making a “remarkable comeback”.

Published: 10 Aug 2009

A report in the UK has highlighted that the package holiday is making a “remarkable comeback”.

According to a report filed by The Telegraph, a rush for late deals because of the poor weather, coupled with the financial security offered by holiday firms should things go wrong, has seen the popularity of the package flourish once again.

Andy Washington, sales director for lastminute.com, reportedly said searches for package holidays had risen by nine percent and bookings by 17 percent this year, compared to searches for flights and hotels for those booking independently were down by five percent.

He said: “Holidays are flying off the shelves, up 30 to 40 percent, and the package holidays are the major beneficiary of that.”

In the same report, Dave Burling, commercial director for Thomson and First Choice, said holiday firms have been forced to change to meet consumer trends and be more flexible with their destinations and products.

Last week a new travel report issued by Visa Europe mentioned that Britain is becoming a nation of ‘holiday hagglers’. In fact, it also indicated that the package holiday is in danger of dying out, as nearly half of us (42 percent) now favour DIY trips abroad, choosing to book our flights and accommodation separately. The rise of low cost airlines selling cheap fares over the Internet has arguably helped to fuel this rise, with just 22 percent now admitting to still booking package holidays.