In a statement released on Tuesday, ABTA said that twothirds of people planning a summer holiday have already booked, as Western Mediterranean destinations surge in popularity.
Due to the heightened interest in Western European destinations, ABTA is urging those who plan to go away not to leave it too late to book as travel industry figures are showing heightened interest in destinations such as Portugal.
ABTA also reasoned that a drop in business to traditionally popular destinations like Tunisia and Egypt, following high profile terrorist incidents and changes to Foreign Office travel advice, has driven a growth in popularity to the Western Mediterranean in particular.
In addition, recent terror attacks in Arab states and the loss of an Egypt Air flight last week has led to discouraging Britons even further from seeking out more exotic destinations as opposed to heading to the Iberian Peninsula.
Research by ABTA further suggests that those leaving it late are not bargain hunters. When those planning a holiday, but have not yet booked it, were asked why they had not yet booked their holiday, waiting for a last minute bargain was way down on the list, with only 15 percent of people giving this as a reason. Personal finance and personal circumstances (e.g. family illness) topped the list of reasons given as to why Brits are planning a holiday but have not yet booked.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA Chief Executive said: “We are seeing a significant increase in summer holiday bookings to Western Mediterranean destinations so I would urge holidaymakers who are looking to travel, not to delay in making their booking. My advice to those who have left it late is to be flexible when making their booking and seek the advice of a travel professional who will be able to advise them on the best options and destinations still available, as well as recommending less well known and less crowded areas.”
Surveys in Portugal are also indicating that reservations for hotels in the Algarve are already up by 35 percent for this coming summer.
According to these numbers, this increase is mostly due to a surge in bookings from British tourists, with several hotels indicating they are almost full.
The heightened interest on the back of 2015, which was already a record year in terms of foreign tourist numbers, appears to be not only connected with the Algarve’s well-known qualities and the instability in other popular destinations, but also aided by the spread of the Zika virus in the Americas.
In contrast to Portugal, Spain and Cyprus, Greece is still showing a certain amount of availability.
Holidaymakers intent on visiting places like Portugal are advised by ABTA to consider alternative locations, such as the northern coast and cities further inland.
Holidaymakers have also been told that they should also consider travelling outside the peak summer months of July and August with the prevailing weather remaining good until well into October and often beyond.