Millions of Britons are busy online searching for their summer holidays and early market indications of an increase in demand for all-inclusive holidays have proven correct.
Research for the 2016 Travel Weekly Insight Report, published on 9 December, showed a three-point rise year on year in prospective UK holidaymakers intending to book an all-inclusive break; this went up to 43% of all those planning an overseas holiday in 2017.
That may not sound much of an increase, but the study found an additional 14-point rise to 21% in those undecided about whether to book an all-inclusive holiday, suggesting in total that as many as two out of three UK adults planning a holiday next year might look at an all-inclusive booking.
When research firm Kantar TNS asked the same question for Travel Weekly a year ago more than half the respondents (52%) said they were unlikely to make an all-inclusive booking. This October, just 31% said they were unlikely to.
And market reports today indicate that demand for all-inclusive holidays is certainly on the increase, especially in the Balearics, the Canary Islands and Greece, the latter of which is trending very well with online searches and could give the Spanish islands a run for their money this summer: prices have dropped, thus making Greece a cheaper destination.
Thomas Cook today noted that all-inclusives were proving more popular, adding that the results "highlighted the trend we identified in October, that more holidaymakers will opt for an all-inclusive holiday in 2017". The operator subsequently increased its all-inclusive offering by 20% for summer 2017.