News of a coronavirus vaccine said to be 90% effective in preventing the disease has offered Brits a glimmer of hope - and prompted a surge in holiday planning.
Earlier this week, drugs firm Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE announced that their coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective in preventing the disease after a large-scale clinical trial.
Since then, travel firms have reported a surge in both searches for holidays to popular holiday hotspots including Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands and Turkey.
For example, Skyscanner noted a 48% surge for travel next year, compared to the week before the vaccine news came to light. The flight comparison website said that the searches were predominantly for travel during spring and summer in 2021.
Meanwhile, TravelSupermarket reports a 54% week-on-week rise in holiday searches, especially for travel in April and May 2021.
The holiday packages comparison site found that some of the top destinations with deals during those months included Crete, the Maldives and the Dominican Republic.
Those looking at April specifically may want to consider Crete and Spain where the firm noted some of the best value prices, while in the summer there are some tempting offers to the likes of Turkey (Antalya specifically), Portugal (the Algarve) and Corfu.
Other travel websites including Expedia and Kayak have also reported surges in searches for holidays abroad.
Meanwhile, Netflights has reported a 232% increase in searches for Summer 2021 holidays compared to the week before the announcement. The site also noted that following the news of Joe Biden's election victory, searches for the USA increased by 258%.
British Airways has also noted a rise in interest in holidays this week following the promising vaccine news.
A spokesperson for the airline told Mirror Online: "We know customers want to travel and after this welcome news we saw an increase in the numbers of people on ba.com looking at flights to destinations like Dubai, Florida and New York. We also saw a big rise in the numbers of customers looking at holidays to the Maldives, as well as the Caribbean, Orlando and Canary Islands for this year and next."
Thomas Cook also noted that searches for July holidays have doubled, while August getaways are up nearly two-thirds. The firm is currently only selling holidays to the likes of Greek Islands, Madeira and the Canary Islands, and said. that of those destinations it's Tenerife, Rhodes and Zante which are seeing the most interest from holidaymakers.
Are there deals for 2021?
The good news for Brits who are considering a trip is that there are deals to be found - we've highlighted some of the offers below.
- British Airways has unveiled deals for 2021 including holidays in June with prices from £599pp to Saint Lucia or Barbados (based on seven-night breaks). Find out more on ba.com.
- easyJet has holiday packages from £148pp to the likes of Greece and Turkey for summer 2021. Find out more on easyjet.com.
Jet2holidays has packages from £403pp in April, £396pp in May, and even prices from £552pp in August. Find out more on jet2holidays.com.
TUI has launched summer holiday deals with packages on offer from £222pp for seven-night breaks. Find out more on tui.co.uk.
Wendy Wu Tours is offering free flights on holidays in both 2021 and 2022 although you'll need to book by the 30th November. Find out more on wendywutours.co.uk.
There's no denying that the pandemic has wreaked havoc on Brits' holiday plans with ongoing travel restrictions and cancellations. Meanwhile, England's second lockdown brought a fresh blow for holidaymakers as the new rules also include a ban on international travel, currently set to end on the 2nd December.
British holidaymakers have had to navigate ongoing restrictions and updates to the UK's travel corridors in 2020, but that hasn't stopped them from dreaming of future holidays even when they couldn't travel.
The likes of Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey and the Canary Islands have remained some of the most popular holiday searches - no doubt as some of these destinations were on the travel corridors meaning Brits could visit without quarantine. (The Canary Islands were added just weeks before England's second national lockdown was announced).
TravelSupermarket did note a surge in interest for holidays to the Canary Islands for December 2020 and January 2021 - suggesting that some Brits are still hoping to catch some winter sunshine when lockdown ends and the travel ban is lifted.
If you're planning a holiday and want some inspiration on where to go, you may want to check out our travel section with heaps of destination ideas, top deals not to miss and the key news you need to know during lockdown.
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- During the coronavirus pandemic, countries may be subject to a change in travel restrictions. Always check the latest FCDO advice for your chosen destination before planning, booking, or going on a trip.
