© Provided by The iA view of resort villas in Antalya, Turkey on January 29, 2021, one destination that may be around 7 per cent cheaper to travel to this autumn (Photo: Getty)
The Covid-hit travel sector is gearing up for one of its busiest autumns on record as Brits rush to book foreign holidays with an expectation that they would have received two doses of a vaccine by September.
According to the latest booking figures from online holiday comparison group TravelSupermarket the most popular month for booking holidays last week was September, with October following close on its heels, as sunseekers believe travel restrictions will have been lifted by the end of the summer.
There has also been a rise in searches for holidays in November and December, but bookings for Easter and summer holidays overseas remain significantly down on 2019 levels, before the Covid-19 pandemic struck across the globe. The most popular destinations include Spain's Canary Islands, the Maldives, Crete and Disneyland Paris.
Prices slashed
In an attempt to gain bookings from Covid-cautious travellers, holiday companies are slashing prices. A trip to the Algarve in Portugal, which is currently fighting the Brazilian variant of the virus, from May to the end of October, is 30 per cent down on 2019, according to TravelSupermarket. New York is 14 per cent down, and a trip to Turkey will cost you 7 per cent less than two years ago.
© Provided by The iPrices have been slashed for trips abroad to encourage Brits to invest in holidays again after the vaccine roll-out (Photo: Getty)
Graeme Buck, a director at travel association ABTA, said: "There is considerable pent-up demand to take a holiday after relatively few people were able to take a break in 2020 and so far in 2021 travel has ground to a halt. The most recent ABTA research found that 62 per cent of people saying they hope to book a holiday abroad in the next six months, up from 52 per cent in August 2020.
"While the vaccine roll-out is a very positive development, the industry cannot wait for the whole UK adult population to be vaccinated before travel restarts - and businesses cannot afford to lose another summer."
Future plan
He went on to call on the Government to engage with the travel industry to come up with a plan for future overseas travel for when restrictions are lifted and that tailored financial support is provided to help businesses through this difficult time."
As holidaymakers shun overseas breaks this summer due to fears of restrictions remaining in place, demand for staycations has rocketed.
Ryan Pearson, regional manager at Booking.com, said: "Our recent research which revealed that 47 per cent of people still plan to travel within their own country in the medium term - between seven and 12 months - with 38 per cent planning to do so in the longer term - in over a year's time."