Feb 5, 2025 • 6 min read
18.01.2025 - 00:55 / euronews.com / Joanna Bailey
As Europe shivers in the cold, its residents are dreaming of sunny getaways and foreign adventures. Not only dreaming but booking their 2025 breaks in record numbers, according to the travel industry.
January is often a busy month for travel bookings as holiday companies tout tempting deals to rival the high street’s New Year offers. But there’s one particular day that traditionally sees a flurry of bookings, and this year it was last Saturday.
Dubbed ‘Sunshine Saturday’ by British travel agents, the first Saturday after the first full week in January typically sees more bookings than any other day this month.
2025 has been no exception, with multiple travel companies logging record sales last weekend. Does that mean all the deals are already gone, or is there a better time to book your 2025 travel?
Tour operator Hays Travel broke records on both Saturday and Sunday, with more than a third of bookings made by customers new to the company.
“People continue to prioritise their annual holiday and we are seeing a small upturn in average spend,” says Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, Hays Chief Operating Officer.
British self-catering provider Hoseasons had a booming weekend too, with lodge and park bookings up 19 per cent on Sunday 12 January. The only day with more sales in its history was the day the UK relaxed its COVID lockdown restrictions in 2021.
Its sister brand, cottages.com, also had a record day on Sunday. Bookings for spring breaks were up 25 per cent year-on-year, the company says, noting a high demand for properties with hot tubs.
Adventure travel is in demand too, with Dnata Travel Group’s adventure brand Incredible Journeys recording its best-ever day for calls and bookings.
Incredible Journeys said that, on Monday 13 January, they took 37 per cent more calls than the same day last year. Japan, up 80 per cent, was the fastest-growing destination booked, alongside Kenya and Sri Lanka.
In fact, across the Dnata Travel Group, which also includes Gold Medal, Pure Luxury and Cruise Plus, all the brands had a record-breaking start to the year.
“Our brands have seen a strong start to peaks,” said Simon Applebaum, Managing Director of Dnata Travel Group. “Our web sales are +40 per cent year on year which is really promising to see.”
UK travel company Barrhead Travel reported that, even in the first week of January, bookings had overtaken the demand they saw in 2024. Sales are mostly for summer 2025, although December is also selling well.
“January remains one of the best times to book a holiday as it’s the time of year where most operators, airlines and cruise lines offer significant savings and added value,” notes Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel.
“With demand for travel at an all-time high,
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