Hotel bookings have increased by 33.4% in the Balearics over the last week, and are 66.4% above last year at the same time, and up to 178.32% above the figures for 2021, according to data from the TravelgateX platform.
With 6.2% of total bookings in Spain, the Balearics was the sixth most booked region, behind Catalonia, Andalusia, Madrid, the Canary Islands and Valencia.
Across the country, bookings made more than three months in advance were the most important (23.02%). The majority of trips correspond to couples (46.6%) with stays of two to five nights (46.74%).
The national market makes 62.3% of the bookings, while 11.3% correspond to travellers from the United Kingdom and 3.1% to Germany.
Looking ahead to how the UK travel market will perform next year, 18-24-year-olds are set to be the most prolific travellers in 2024, according to ABTA – The Travel Association which has delved into their plans for the year ahead in its annual Travel Trends.
Dubbed Generation T by ABTA due to their enthusiasm for travel, almost three-quarters (72%) of them are planning to travel overseas in the next 12 months, the highest of any age group according to ABTA’s research.
As well as travelling in large numbers, they’re also open to a wide range of travel experiences. While the nation’s favourite type of trip, the city break, is their top choice for next year, 18-24-year-olds are almost three times as likely than the average traveller to be heading off on an adventure holiday in the next 12 months and twice as likely to be camping, heading to a major sports event, taking a train holiday and going on a food and drink-based break.
When it comes to where they’re planning to holiday next year, their number one pick is Italy, followed by France (2nd), the USA (3rd), Spain (4th) – the UK’s favourite holiday destination overall – and Germany (5th).
While Gen T clearly have a huge appetite for travel in the year ahead, it’s also the age group most likely to alter its holiday plans because of the cost of living, with 93% of 18-24-year-olds saying the cost of living will have an impact on their travel plans in the next 12 months.
Despite this squeeze on their finances, only 4% say they won’t go away at all due to the rising cost of living, compared with 10% of the wider population. Instead, they’re getting creative with keeping costs down, with a third (32%) planning to book cheaper accommodation, 27% taking fewer holidays, a quarter eating out less on holiday (25%) and 24% choosing cheaper transport options.
Graeme Buck, Director of Communications at ABTA – The Travel Association, said:
“18-24-year-olds have been increasingly keen to get out and see the world over the last few years. They went on an average of 2.7 holidays abroad each in the last 12 months, up from 2.2 holidays abroad each in the 12 months prior to that.
“That doesn’t mean lots of quick breaks either. Generation T has been taking a much higher number of holidays for seven days or more than any other age group. So, while this group has a keen eye on cost, they continue to be a highly attractive market for many in the travel industry.”