Strong demand for holidays in the shoulder months – before and after the traditional summer season – is recorded in the British market, according to the latest data from Advantage Travel Partnership.
The data shows a 13% increase in bookings for the period May – June 2025, compared to the levels of the corresponding period in 2024, and an even greater increase, of around 20%, for the months of September and October.
At the same time, holiday bookings for July and August continue to show an increase (7%) compared to the corresponding period last year, which is however attributed to the inflexible terms of changes in holiday dates.
The main factors that lead travelers to choose these months are the increase in the cost of holidays, the very high temperatures that prevail in the summer months and the large crowds of the peak season.
In fact, according to the Advantage Travel Partnership, this trend creates the need to intervene in the traditional school holiday calendar, so as to shrink the summer holidays and extend the others, such as half term, throughout the year.
Greece consistently among the top destinations
All-inclusive holidays continue to be in high demand, representing 40% of Advantage’s sales, with many looking for destinations that offer all-in experiences, indicative of the increased interest in value.
Greece, the Canary Islands, Turkey, the Spanish mainland, France and the Balearic Islands continue to be in the top positions of their short-term destinations of choice, as they were last year.
Popular destinations that are developing strong momentum again this year are Egypt, Croatia and Cyprus, where travelers are making greater use of their spending power, supporting the trend that Britons are increasingly seeking value as well as getaways with a stronger element of experiences, emphasizing culture and activities rather than “fly and flop” holidays.
