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27 September 2012 10:14
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Holiday group TUI Travel has reported a surge in its bookings for next summer as families plan ahead to avoid another disappointing British summer.
The Thomson and First Choice operator said UK bookings for next summer were already up 10% against the same period last year, with its programme for this summer now almost fully sold after an improvement in UK booking trends over the last two months.
Sales in its key UK market were up 5% for this summer as a whole after a 10% rise in average selling prices offset a 6% reduction in its capacity.
There was an improved trend in overall summer bookings from the UK, down 2% in August and September against the 5% decline in the rate seen at the end of July.
As well as the poor weather, a weakened euro has proved attractive for many Britons opting for short-haul destinations such as Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca.
Peter Long, chief executive of TUI Travel plc, commented: "We are very pleased with our summer 2012 performance, with most of our programmes now almost fully sold. High demand in the peak summer period, driven by our strategy of differentiated and exclusive product distributed online, has resulted in strong lates margins and load factors.
"We remain on track to meet our full-year expectations, with strong underlying trading offset by the impact of re-translation of fourth-quarter Eurozone earnings. Our continued outperformance in a challenging macroeconomic environment demonstrates our robust strategy is delivering clear results."
