Travel bookings for this year's autumn holiday week are lower than before the pandemic.
But already this winter, travel giant TUI believes that travel will be back to normal levels again.
According to the travel company TUI, sales of autumn holiday trips are six times higher compared to the same sales week in 2020. But if you look at the corresponding figures before the pandemic, the autumn holiday week in 2019, capacity is at 70 percent compared to a normal year.
”"Last year was "It was a low point for travel in general, but now we see that it is more of a normal autumn when it comes to the autumn holidays," says sales manager Eric Carlsson.
TUI expects that winter travel bookings will be at almost the same levels as a normal year from Christmas onwards, says Eric Carlsson.
”"Our plan is for us to stay at the same levels. Then we have to monitor the situation. In addition, customers are booking their trips later at the moment, so it is more difficult to make a forecast like before. But with the demand pattern that we are seeing, we believe that we will be able to maintain the same capacity as before," he continues.
According to competitor Ving "Bookings for the winter season, starting in October, have increased by 80 percent in the last three weeks," says press officer Anna Hagberg.
Ving does not provide any exact figures on sales levels, but Hagberg says that the volumes are not as large as in a normal year.
”"A general trend during the pandemic is that customers are waiting a little longer and booking closer to departure. Therefore, it is difficult to compare with a normal year."”
The travel agency Ticket has "We have seen more than a doubling of bookings compared to last year. But compared to a normal year, sales are a third of normal," says Ticket's marketing manager Michael Kapil.
”"There was an increase in the spring of this year, but now it has stabilized at the level it is at now," he continues.
The most popular destinations this fall are within the EU, where the Canary Islands are at the top in terms of bookings.
An actor on The travel market that is having a tougher time is Swanson's Travel, which is a company that specializes in travel to primarily North America.
In March 2020, the US introduced an entry ban for Swedes, among others, and Swanson's has had zero travelers since then, says Tommy Swanson, who runs and owns the company.
”"2020 started well, better than the years before. Then the stop came and then we didn't expect it to last so long. Now, almost a year and a half later, we have 150 travelers left. Customers are rebooking their trips and also waiting to book until they know they will be allowed in. There have been more fun times in the travel industry, if I may say so," says Tommy Swanson.
Source: TT
