Following Boris Johnson’s announcement regarding easing lockdown restrictions, airlines and travel companies have seen a surge in bookings.
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As soon as the Prime Minister announced the easing of lockdown over the coming months, vast numbers of Brits got online to book holidays for the summer. Are holiday-hungry Brits jumping the gun again when it comes to making holiday bookings?
The past year has been largely a washout for travel, leaving many Brits desperate to escape and take some time out. While some have managed to enjoy a staycation within the UK, many have been desperate to book holidays abroad.
Under the plans to ease lockdown, the PM aims to lift all restrictions by the summer. However, this is based on certain conditions being met around the spread of Covid and the number of hospitalisations. It is also based on the impact of any new strains of the virus that may emerge and the success of the vaccination programme.
Roadmap out of lockdown revealed, but no guarantees
If the conditions of each stage of lifting restrictions are not met, this could cause further delays. Johnson has outlined his plan, which will be implemented in four stages. Still, there are no guarantees because progression to each step depends on the situation at the time. This means that those who have paid deposits for summer holidays could lose money if they cannot travel when the time comes.
The plan is to remove restrictions on international travel over the coming months, but the earliest this will happen under the PM’s plans is 17th May. If the conditions of easing restrictions at that time are not met, however, it may be later than this. As a result, the holiday plans of many of those who have now made bookings could be at risk.
A surge in bookings for holiday companies
Following the PM’s announcement, TUI reported the best day for bookings in more than a month. According to data from the company, many of those looking to book their holidays were interested in destinations such as Turkey, Greece, and Spain.
Officials from Thomas Cook reported a 100% increase in website traffic, adding that there had been a surge in bookings. Mexico, Greece, and the Dominican Republic were among the places proving popular with the holiday company.
Low-cost airline EasyJet reported a massive increase in holiday bookings and flights after the PM announced his plans for easing lockdown. Holiday bookings rocketed by 630%, with Brits snapping up deals to places such as Crete, Alicante, and Malaga. Flight bookings also surged by 337% on the EasyJet website. According to the data, the most popular month for bookings was August, followed by July and September.
Boosting confidence among Brits eager to travel
An EasyJet official said the announcement had boosted confidence among Brits were eager to travel after being locked down or under restrictions for so long.
He said, "We have consistently seen that there is pent-up demand for travel and this surge in bookings shows that this signal from the Government that it plans to reopen travel has been what UK consumers have been waiting for."
However, Brits who have snapped up summer holiday deals on the back of the announcement must keep in mind that the situation could change quickly.
