ABTA reports rise in people booking with travel professionals in latest Holiday Habits report
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dhewitt@abta.co.uk Tue, 10/08/2024 - 09:08
New figures show increased appreciation of having someone to help if needed.
New research from ABTA’s Holiday Habits 2024-25 report shows there has been a year-on-year rise in people booking their holidays with a travel professional (travel agent or tour operator), with customers increasingly appreciating the help and support they can provide1.
In the past 12 months, almost two in five (38%) people booked their holiday with a travel professional, up from just over a third (34%) in the previous 12 months.
While more people cited the ease of booking in this way as the main advantage (up from 51% last year to 54% this year), this was followed by the reassurance that someone is there to help them if something goes wrong – which has risen significantly from 34% last year to 43% this year.
This could be due to the varied, high-profile challenges that holidaymakers have faced in the past year or so – from wildfires to a UK air traffic control issue at the end of summer 2023 – where they’ve realised the value of having an expert to rely on when their travel plans are disrupted.
Those working in the travel industry are, of course, well-versed at managing the vast range of unpredictable events that their clients may occasionally face, with the knowledge and connections to support customers where needed.
Travel professionals are also growing their popularity among young families and young people, a trend that has been steadily building over the past five years. In 2019, 36% of families with young children and 36% of 18-24-year-olds said they booked a holiday with a travel professional in the previous 12 months, which has risen to 55% this year for young families, and to 48% of those aged 18-24.
Package holidays continue to be the most popular way to travel overseas, booked by 62% of people who travelled abroad in the past 12 months (61% last year), rising to 77% of families and 71% of 18-24-year-olds. The cost was the number one reason for booking a package, with 44% saying it was the best value option for the price (up from 42% last year), followed by 38% appreciating the time-saving benefits (up from 34%) and 37% citing the fact that everything is taken care of (up from 33%).
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA – The Travel Association said:
“Our latest Holiday Habits report shows travel is very much back to normal and in high demand. Our industry and its customers are once again dealing with the wide variety of operational challenges that can disrupt people’s plans with very little notice, be that natural disasters or technological disruption. While most people’s travels aren’t affected, there is clearly an increasing number of customers appreciating the reassurance of having an expert in their corner who can resolve any unexpected issues if needed.”
The Holiday Habits 2024-25 report can be found at www.abta.com/holidayhabits2024-25.
Notes to editors
1Statistics cited in this release are from ABTA’s annual Holiday Habits survey to find out how people travelled in the 12 months prior and what their travel plans are for the year ahead. The research is carried out each summer with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults by The Nursery Research and Planning, with the latest survey taking place from 24 July to 2 August 2024.
About ABTA
ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.
Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.
ABTA also offers services to help you on your travels – ABTA Travel Insurance and ABTA Travel Money.
All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com
Continue reading...
Full Page image
dhewitt@abta.co.uk Tue, 10/08/2024 - 09:08
New figures show increased appreciation of having someone to help if needed.
New research from ABTA’s Holiday Habits 2024-25 report shows there has been a year-on-year rise in people booking their holidays with a travel professional (travel agent or tour operator), with customers increasingly appreciating the help and support they can provide1.
In the past 12 months, almost two in five (38%) people booked their holiday with a travel professional, up from just over a third (34%) in the previous 12 months.
While more people cited the ease of booking in this way as the main advantage (up from 51% last year to 54% this year), this was followed by the reassurance that someone is there to help them if something goes wrong – which has risen significantly from 34% last year to 43% this year.
This could be due to the varied, high-profile challenges that holidaymakers have faced in the past year or so – from wildfires to a UK air traffic control issue at the end of summer 2023 – where they’ve realised the value of having an expert to rely on when their travel plans are disrupted.
Those working in the travel industry are, of course, well-versed at managing the vast range of unpredictable events that their clients may occasionally face, with the knowledge and connections to support customers where needed.
Travel professionals are also growing their popularity among young families and young people, a trend that has been steadily building over the past five years. In 2019, 36% of families with young children and 36% of 18-24-year-olds said they booked a holiday with a travel professional in the previous 12 months, which has risen to 55% this year for young families, and to 48% of those aged 18-24.
Package holidays continue to be the most popular way to travel overseas, booked by 62% of people who travelled abroad in the past 12 months (61% last year), rising to 77% of families and 71% of 18-24-year-olds. The cost was the number one reason for booking a package, with 44% saying it was the best value option for the price (up from 42% last year), followed by 38% appreciating the time-saving benefits (up from 34%) and 37% citing the fact that everything is taken care of (up from 33%).
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA – The Travel Association said:
“Our latest Holiday Habits report shows travel is very much back to normal and in high demand. Our industry and its customers are once again dealing with the wide variety of operational challenges that can disrupt people’s plans with very little notice, be that natural disasters or technological disruption. While most people’s travels aren’t affected, there is clearly an increasing number of customers appreciating the reassurance of having an expert in their corner who can resolve any unexpected issues if needed.”
The Holiday Habits 2024-25 report can be found at www.abta.com/holidayhabits2024-25.
Notes to editors
1Statistics cited in this release are from ABTA’s annual Holiday Habits survey to find out how people travelled in the 12 months prior and what their travel plans are for the year ahead. The research is carried out each summer with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults by The Nursery Research and Planning, with the latest survey taking place from 24 July to 2 August 2024.
About ABTA
ABTA is a trade association for UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider travel industry. We’re the largest travel trade body, with over 4,300 travel brands in membership who have a combined annual UK turnover of over £40 billion. We work closely with our members to help raise and maintain standards and build a more sustainable travel industry, and provide travellers with advice, guidance and support.
Our members sign up to a code of conduct and commit to agreed service standards and fair trading. When you need clear travel information, and accurate and impartial advice relating to your trip, we’re here for you. When you book with an ABTA member, reliable advice comes as standard. This means that booking with our members brings peace of mind.
ABTA also offers services to help you on your travels – ABTA Travel Insurance and ABTA Travel Money.
All this together means we help you travel with confidence. www.abta.com
Continue reading...
