Palma.The latest tourism industry reports show that travel agents enjoyed a very strong February with summer bookings up by two percent in comparison to February last year and, as we have seen, last month witnessed another surge as the country suffered one of its coldest months of March on record.
What is more, according to industry analyst GfK, travel agent revenue was up by eight percent year-on-year in February with Britons spending an average of 52 more pounds each on their summer holiday.
All inclusive boom
And, the swing away from independent holidays appears to be continuing after so many people have been caught over recent years by small operators going to the wall. Apparently, family bookings have risen by six percent year-on-year, package holidays are up eight percent and the all inclusive boom continues.
The latest figures for the sale of all inclusive holidays indicate that the market is up by 14 percent on last year.
What is more, demand for seven or 14 night holidays has also increased, although adult demand for short breaks has dropped off slightly.
Although, when it comes to the family holiday market, there has been a shift towards shorter holidays despite the increase in average price.
The only sector which is continuing to perform poorly is the cruise market.
So far, summer bookings are 21 percent down on last year hence why the high street is being flooded with major cruise holiday discounts as the cruise lines strive to get the market moving again.
Nevertheless, the Mediterranean continues to be the most popular cruise destination.