While traveling in a country as big as the USA can be daunting, you have to start somewhere. Why not a weekend getaway?
04.01.2024 - 19:25 / breakingtravelnews.com / Sharm El
easyJet and easyJet holidays have revealed the latest travel trends for 2024 as bookings took off during the first days of its biggest ever Big Orange Sale, offering up to 20% off over two million seats across Europe and up to £300 off package holidays until 5 February 2024.
Flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Alicante and Malaga from the UK proved to be the most popular during the sale’s first week, while Hurghada in Egypt, Rovaniemi in Lapland and Milan are among the destinations to have experienced the greatest rise in popularity compared to 2023. Since the launch of the sale, destinations including Prague, Nantes, Berlin, Bilbao and Verona also increased in popularity for Brits compared to 2023.
Package holidays remain popular for 2024, with all inclusive, seven night breaks in highest demand during the first week of the sale. Tenerife, Lanzarote and Hurghada led the way for beach breaks and Paris, Amsterdam and Iceland proved most popular for city escapes, which account for stays of three to five nights.
More people are spending the festive period searching for holiday deals, with easyJet holidays web and app visits up over 40% on Christmas Day and up nearly 80% on Boxing Day compared to last year, with between 4pm and 6pm being the busiest time of day to make a booking.
In the first week of the sale, flights in January were most popular, as British consumers snapped up last minute winter sun breaks. Bookings to Tunisia during the start of the sale saw a boost compared to last year, as well as Hurghada and Almería in the Spanish region of Andalusia.
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Geneva, Lyon and Innsbruck are proving most popular for ski breaks at the start of the sale. The airline has been focussing on expanding ski routes with the addition of three aircraft in Switzerland and will see a 20% increase in its ski flying programme this year compared to last.
May proved to be the most popular summer month for flight bookings in the first week of the sale, with people taking advantage of half term deals to the likes of Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Faro, while August is set to be the most popular departure month for package holidays.
Faro is the most-booked peak summer destination since the sale began, while the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, Agadir in Morocco, Malta, Verona and Valencia have all seen early signs of greater popularity compared to 2023.
The booking trends follow recent research carried out by the airline in November 2023 that showed more than two thirds of Brits (67%) have said they more likely to travel abroad in 2024 than in 2023. Protecting holiday spend remains a priority for most with over three quarters (77%) saying they will prioritise spending money on a holiday over anything else in
While traveling in a country as big as the USA can be daunting, you have to start somewhere. Why not a weekend getaway?
Leading global travel service provider Trip.com Group is embracing new trends and opportunities in the post-pandemic travel landscape, with its CEO Jane Sun sharing insights at the prominent World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland, this week. Ms Sun also expressed optimism about Asia’s continued growth and shared her perspective on its investment potential at the panel discussion titled “Asia – the world’s next growth anchor?”
Many of the issues that dogged the UK’s dining scene in 2022 did so throughout 2023 — particularly the high cost of food, which continues to have a big impact on how and what we’re eating. This is being felt most notably in the capital, where food costs are compounded by high and rising rents, contributing to what many food writers have cited as a sense that restaurants are playing it safe, at least within the city centre. As the Guardian’s food critic Grace Dent put it in her end of year review, ‘2023 seemed to be the year that London’s restaurant scene lost its edge. Outside the M25, I was eating far better’. This sense of caution can be seen among many of the trends widely cited for 2025, with humble ingredients and classic creations seeing a return in popularity. Perhaps this is why the martini is back in fashion and beans are more prevalent on the menus of hip restaurants — albeit both with fresh twists and interpretations. For all this, though, there are still plenty of exciting developments, such as the rise of music-led restaurants and fresh ingredients to explore, such as the fig leaf. Here’s what’s on the horizon for 2024.
South America’s largest country is keen to attract visitors from the UK, with an approach potentially including Fam and Press Trips, Strategic Partnerships and Creative Activations. Brazil’s ambitious start to the new year follows hot on the heels of a successful end to 2023, which saw the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) open its first office in Latin America in Rio de Janeiro. The office was inaugurated by Zurab Pololikashvili, the Executive Secretary of UNWTO at an opening ceremony taking place last 14th December, which was attended by the President of Brazil Luis Inacio da Silva - more commonly known as Lula - and the country’s Minister of Tourism, Celso Sabino.
If you’re an American traveler, you’ve likely done this sort of calendar math, spotting where all the paid holidays fall this year and figuring out how to combine them with your own limited paid time off (PTO).
Global campaigner the Conservation Collective is making waves across the Mediterranean, helping visitors protect the region’s increasingly under-pressure ecosystems. Its Sicily Environment Fund supports local hiking company Astrid Natura and Collettivo Rewild Sicily to train more walking guides, who will focus on the benefits of rewilding. Walking tours with qualified naturalist guides can also be booked with federescursionismosicilia.it.
There’s something magical about a journey by train.
European low-cost carrier easyJet announced a new partnership Monday with global tours and activities business Musement for customers to add experiences to their flight or holiday packages.
The world's most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed — with the biggest shake-up in rankings we've seen in several years, including a never-before-seen six nations in first place.
Five destinations in Europe are among the top ten sustainable places to travel to in 2024, according to Lonely Planet.
Many Americans are starting to plan spring break or summer trips. But travel presents new dangers, like volcanic eruptions in Iceland to wars in the Middle East.
Iceland has reinstated the tax tourists pay for hotel and alternative accommodation rooms this year. In another change, the tax will also apply to cruises.