Tour operator easyJet Holidays report spike in demand for all-inclusive breaks with cash-conscious families wanting break from worrying about paying for food and drink

• Families increasingly relying on all-inclusive holiday packages to save money 
• Low-cost destinations like Turkey are also becoming more popular in 2022
• EasyJet executive says 70 per cent of bookings are now all-inclusive trips 

Cash-conscious families are increasingly relying on all-inclusive holiday packages to avoid having to splurge on meals and drinks, new data suggests.

Tour operator easyJet Holidays has recorded a spike in demand for luxury getaways with no extra costs for food or activities.

In the wake of Covid, easyJet Holidays chief executive Garry Wilson said up to 70 per cent of all bookings are now for all-inclusive trips.

Holidaymakers are also increasingly booking at four and five-star resorts.

Speaking at the annual convention of travel trade organisation Abta in Marrakesh, Morocco, Mr Wilson said low-cost destinations like Turkey are topping tourist wish lists.

Tour operator easyJet Holidays has recorded a spike in demand for luxury getaways with no extra costs for food or activities

‘People going with their kids don’t want to have to watch their money the whole time, where if the kids want to go to a water park that’s 50 euros, if the kids want ice cream that’s 50 euros.

‘They can get it all in these all-inclusive hotels and that’s the price locked in. Often they don’t go out. So they say, ‘I’m not going to spend anything extra’.’

Mr Wilson said all-inclusive hotels in low-cost destinations like Turkey have ‘everything’ a family could need, noting it has grown in popularity among holidaymakers as accommodation is better value for money than traditional destinations.

‘You’ll pay for a five star all-inclusive hotel (in Turkey) the same amount that you would pay for a three or four-star bed and breakfast in the Balearics,’ he said.

Mr Wilson said spending habits and priorities have likely shifted as a result of the Covid lockdowns and travel bans.  

‘I think what Covid has done is remind people what it’s like when you don’t travel, and how much they enjoy travel,’ he said.

‘It’s just made people much more focused on thinking, ”I don’t want to go back to that period of not being able to travel. If that means I have to give up spending on other things then I will, but I’m not going to allow myself to miss on that holiday”.’

A survey of 2,000 UK consumers commissioned by Abta suggested 18% of holidays taken in the 12 months to the end of August were all-inclusive, compared with 15% in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Dame Irene Hays, owner and chairwoman of Hays Travel, told the convention that the cost of living is ‘definitely a concern’, but her business continues to see ‘very high demand’.

She said research has shown ‘travel is never out of the top three desire purchases’.

Dame Irene continued: ‘People will sacrifice a kitchen, sofa, something new, they’ll sacrifice (spending) money on cars, on clothes and surprisingly supermarket shopping, in order to protect the holiday.’

Speaking at the annual convention of travel trade organisation Abta in Marrakesh, Morocco, Mr Wilson said low-cost destinations like Turkey (pictured) are topping tourist wish lists

Source: Read Full Article