Is it time to holiday at home? Staycation Vs overseas travel…..
The collapse of Thomas Cook has created a Tsunami of activity across the globe.
Pilots, cabin crew, admin staff, technical specialists and holiday reps have been left without a job and thousands of holidaymakers have been stranded abroad or with no where to go.
The knock-on effect has been prevalent and people travelling with alternative travel operators have been impacted.
There is speculation of other travel operators going bust and so amid all the media frenzy and public panic, what effect will the Thomas Cook disaster have on the global travel market?
Will consumer confidence in holidaying overseas dive?
In recent years, Britain has enjoyed a staycation boom, with holidays abroad increasingly being shunned in favour of UK breaks.
Will people look to holiday at home and take a Staycation?
This is the time of the year when the seasons change, and the dark nights draw in and we look ahead to planning next year’s holiday.
Over recent years, more people have chosen to ‘holiday at home’ and in the latest Staycation Index report, compiled by our client Sykes, it highlighted that 66% of Brits took their holiday in the UK in 2018 – up from 56% in 2017.
This could probably be attributed to the good weather experienced, as according to the Met Office, 2018 was also the UK’s hottest summer in more than a decade – prompting a staggering 55% increase in bookings made with Sykes over the summer, compared to 2017.
¼ people surveyed said the impact of Brexit had made them consider a UK holiday.
Steve Crawley from Media Agency Group said: “We live in a beautifully varied country with breath-taking countryside, award-winning beaches, historic buildings and vibrant cities –with a wealth of staycation options. We may not have the guaranteed warmer climate, but we anticipate the recent travel issues will effect consumer confidence in travelling overseas and foresee there will be an increase of people looking to holiday at home”.
It will be interesting to see what develops over the coming months and how UK travel companies benefit the fall-out and how overseas operators re-build consumer confidence.
Some tips when choosing or booking your next break….
Always book on a credit card, as you’re insured against any travel issues and if the company ceases trading.
Make sure that your holiday is ATOL protected https://www.caa.co.uk/ATOL-protection/
Sign up for email alerts, so to make sure you’re the first to hear of any travel offers.
Shop around. Holidays vary from site to site, so shop around.
Ask for a discount. If booking in person in a store, see what discounts you can get, or extras thrown in.
Book in advance. If you have time, book in advance to try and source the cheapest flights (they usually increase the closer to the holiday you get). Sometimes you can spread the cost over time too, which can help financially.
Wait for Sales. Post-Xmas is a good time and mainly when all the travel companies offer big discounts. Travel deals are also available around Black Friday.
Book flights and accommodation separately. This is not always the cheapest option, but sometimes better deals can be found if you book separately, rather than a package holiday.