TUI, which has reached a €1.200 billion bailout deal with the German government to give it the cash it needs to continue operating during the coronavirus pandemic, announced this week above-average booking growth, boosted by a wave of holiday bookings for summer 2022. And what is the money for? For long-distance tourist trips to the USA, Maldives, Mauritius and the Dominican Republic.
The news comes as new research has found that more than half of Britons are planning a holiday abroad in the next 12 months. Data from travel insurance company Allclear revealed that 57 per cent of Britons want to actively travel again, an increase of 46 per cent compared to last year.
People aged 55 and over will drive demand during the low season, with 15 per cent of them planning an overseas getaway by May 2022. Figures will rise in the latter part of the year, with 19 and 21 per cent of those over 55 will say they will go on holiday in September and between October and December 2022. Demand may be further boosted by a move by the UK Civil Aviation Authority to urge British tourists to spend 130 million euros in unused travel vouchers before they expire on September 30, 2022.
Meanwhile, Ian Livesey, head of TUI in the Balearic Islands, Spain, Portugal and Andorra, has said that he expects a good 2022, surprised by "how quickly we have emerged from the pandemic in recent weeks." Bookings for summer 2022 are currently positive and as a group TUI hopes to have a summer with numbers close to 2019 levels.
Regarding the United Kingdom market, he highlights that everything will depend on the British government. "We know that restrictions in the UK have been tough when it comes to travel, and I hope that once more people are vaccinated and the pandemic is more under control, we can see a recovery in summer 2022." More generally, he emphasizes how essential air connectivity is to the islands, both from the mainland and from European countries. "The most important thing would be to maintain connectivity in the low season months, since this would allow us to offer various types of activity and a different offer in the winter months. This would influence the approach to seasonality."
