A travel expert has spoken about the future of holidays after coronavirus and revealed exactly what trips people in the UK are booking now.
Over-50's travel company Saga has seen a rise in bookings follow the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, with the company's Chief Executive of Holidays, Chris Simmonds hopeful for the future.
Speaking to our sister title Mirror Online Chris said: "With the pent up demand for travelling, we’re seeing guests who previously might have taken one or two shorter holidays a year looking to spoil themselves and take the once in a lifetime trips they’ve been dreaming of."
There's more of an appetite for longer, once-in-a-lifetime holidays, particularly for 2022. Saga has seen a nearly 40% increase in the average number of nights spent away, going from an average of 13 nights to 18, with 'bucket list' style destinations such as Uganda and Uzbekistan proving particularly popular.
People aren't just daydreaming about travel either, as Saga has seen a 98% increase in people who are not just browsing future holidays but actually booking them too, compared to the same period last year.
Chris said: "We’ve seen an uptick in interest across our range in recent weeks, both for holidays this year and into 2022.
"Many of our guests are hopeful that they will be able to travel again soon, with the vaccine providing them the optimism they need to start planning ahead.
"Of course, given we cater exclusively for people aged over 50, many of our customers are top of the queue for a vaccine and they also appear to be on top of the queue to travel again, as well as all the other parts of normal life."
The UK has introduced new travel rules including suspending travel corridors, while England, Scotland and Wales are under national lockdowns which include a ban on international travel.
Holidaymakers' confidence in travel has taken a hit, but Chris sounds confident that there are ways the industry can help offer some guidance and reassurance.
He said: "The travel industry has been particularly hard hit by this pandemic and as we emerge from this crisis we will need to pay particular attention to the operational planning of our holidays, keeping customers up to date with the latest protocols for safe travel, local advice and guidance and of course any further restrictions if they come about.
Find your nearest vaccination centre by using your postcode below
"One thing is certain though, is that we are a resilient industry and the desire to travel from our customers will always be strong."
For Saga customers, one of the biggest concerns comes in the form of travel restrictions which can change due to a country's risk of coronavirus.
He said: "When I speak to our guests, the great cause of a reluctance to book new holidays is the uncertainty of changing restrictions.
"This has only heightened by the various shifts in lockdown and travel restrictions over the course of the past year as the Government has understandably taken new measures to prevent the spread of the virus."
In response, the company has introduced a Saga Reassurance Promise which includes travel insurance covering medical emergency and repatriation for coronavirus and flexible cancellation, and no amendment fees for up to when a customer's balance is due. (This applies to holidays booked by February 28).
