Top holiday trends for 2010
Last year the buzzwords around holiday trends were staycations and glamping. However after another washout summer, despite the Met Offices predictions of a BBQ summer, for 2010 we’ll be heading to the sun.
Thomson and First Choice predict that the biggest concern for British holidaymakers this year will be getting good value for money. This doesn’t mean that people will be heading off on bargain basement trips, in fact more people are booking 4 and 5* holidays than ever before as many luxury hotels lower their prices. Instead, holidaymakers in 2010 will be careful about choosing their holidays and will look closely at what is included and what they will be getting for their hard earned cash. Here we have put together a list of what we think will be shaping the way we go on holiday for 2010.
The rise of the all-inclusive
All-inclusives have increased in popularity massively in the last few years and now make up 42% of Thomson and First Choice holidays, with bookings having grown by 32%*in the last five years. Their success has a lot to do with the decline in value of the pound against the euro, making self catering in short haul destinations relatively expensive. However it is also due to the fact that all-inclusive resorts in short and mid haul destinations have become a lot more sophisticated in the last few years, offering high quality accommodation, a wide choice of restaurants, childcare and activities included.
Both Thomson’s flagship properties the Sensatori resorts, and First Choice’s Holiday Villages appeal to couples and families looking for these types of holidays. Sensatori offers great value 5* holidays with a huge choice of restaurants and the Holiday Villages offers inclusive childcare in their Kid’s Academy for kids from 3 up to 15. For Summer 2010 Thomson will open its third Sensatori property in Tenerife, while First Choice will open its first 5 Sun Holiday Village in Rhodes.
First Choice offers seven night family holidays in Rhodes staying at the 5 Sun Holiday Village Rhodes on an all-inclusive basis from £1022 per adult, £443 for the first child and £586 for the second child. Prices based on two adults and two children sharing a Double Family room, flying from London Gatwick on 14th August 2010. For further information or to book visit firstchoice.co.uk/holidayvillage.
10 and 11 night holidays
As consumers will be looking for better value for Summer 2010, many will be looking to cut down on the traditional 14 night holiday and instead go for just 10 or 11 nights. This trend is particularly evident for mid and long haul holidays as many feel that seven nights is too short for a holiday, in a destination which takes over four hours to get to, while 14 nights is either out of their budget or too long to take off work. In fact for Summer 2009, Thomson found that demand for 10 and 11 night holidays was up by 64%. So to meet it, we will be offering 20% more 10 and 11 night holidays, giving our customers more flexibility than ever.
Thomson offers ten night holidays in Mexico, staying all-inclusive at the 4T Riu Yucatan, from £1049 per person based on two sharing, departing from London Gatwick on the 10th July 2010. For more information or to book visit thomson.co.uk.
Mid-haul is the new short-haul
Summer 2009 was all about holidays in Turkey, with most tour operators increasing their capacity there and everybody raving about how spacious and close to the beach the hotels were, how much there was to do and how affordable it was being outside of the euro-zone.
Turkey’s popularity is set to increase further for Summer 2010. However, other mid haul destinations such as Morocco, and Tunisia will be hot on its heels this summer. Both of these destinations have a similar appeal to Turkey, offering practically guaranteed sunshine, fantastic value all-inclusive resorts and with new flights from Thomson Airways they are even easier to get to. For Summer 2010 Thomson and First Choice will be increasing capacity for holidays in Morocco by 120% and in Tunisia by 48%.
First Choice offers seven night family holidays in Tunisia staying at the 3 Sun plus Caribbean World on an all-inclusive basis from £535 per adult, £179 for the first child and £219 for the second child. Prices based on two adults and two children sharing, flying from London Gatwick on 5th May 2010. For further information or to book visit firstchoice.co.uk/families.
More first time cruisers
2009 was a good year for cruising with 1.5 million British passengers taking to the seas, up from 1.33 million in 2008. 2010 looks as if it might be even bigger as more holidaymakers’ cotton on to the fact that cruises offer customers great value and the opportunity to visit a variety of destinations.
At Thomson Cruises we predict that recent high profile ship launches will attract people to the idea of going on a cruise, and so there will be a big increase in first time cruising, as people look to see what all of the fuss is about. Thomson Cruises really appeals to first timers who trust the Thomson brand and are perhaps weary of the formalities and stuffiness of traditional cruises. While we still host a formal night these are a chance to dress up and have fun, rather than contend with endless rows of cutlery. Thomson Cruises is also one of the only cruise lines not to charge extra for tips, so people can feel comfortable and relaxed while on board, knowing that everything is taken care of.
Thomson Cruises offers a five night cruise onboard Thomson Dream from £699 per person. Based on two adults sharing, the price includes return flights, accommodation on a full-board basis and ship transfers. For more information or to book visit thomson.co.uk/cruise.
Getting away from the football during the World Cup
Next June all eyes will be on South Africa and watching England try to win the World Cup. However for those that haven’t got thousands of pounds to spend on going there, or want to get away from all things football, Thomson and First Choice predict that June will be a good time to travel. With so many people watching the World Cup, many will not want to travel to destinations that aren’t football mad! The Maldives, Croatia and Jamaica would all be good places to escape the World Cup madness and there could well be discounts to be had there too!
However if for those that fancy supporting England but want to do so in the sun, may well want to take off to a Brit friendly resort like Magaluf in Majorca. There there’ll be able to support England with the right atmosphere and well known football commentators on the telly but spend the daytime in the sunshine.
Thomson offers seven night holidays in the Maldives, staying all-inclusive at the 4T plus Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort, from £1299 per person based on two sharing, departing from London Gatwick on the 6th June 2010. For more information or to book visit thomson.co.uk.
2wentys offers seven night holidays in Majorca staying self catering at the 3 Sun Fiesta Jungla from £355 per person, based on 4 sharing, departing from London Gatwick on the 10th June 2010. For more information or to book this holiday go to 2wentys.co.uk.
Getting Married Overseas
A big trend, which is already evident from bookings next summer, is couples getting married abroad. Thomson and First Choice have seen bookings rise by 35% in the last year as more and more couples look to get married on the beach, beside a traditional Greek Chapel or in a medieval Italian monastery.
Getting married overseas is a cheaper option than getting married at home, according to a recent survey by Mintel. The survey found that the average cost of a wedding in the UK was £20,000, while overseas it was just £6,500. This is because generally you will have less people to cater for, extras like photographers and flowers tend to be cheaper and the cost of venues tends to be less. On top of that you also have a much better chance of sunshine, if you book with Thomson and First Choice you’ll have a wedding co-ordinator to sort it all out for you, and after the wedding you are already on your honeymoon!
Weddings at the San Francesco Cloisters in Sorrento, Italy start from £539 with First Choice. The price includes planning and administration, the wedding ceremony, marriage certificate and registrar fees as well as cake, sparkling wine for the bride and groom and a bouquet and button hole. For more information on getting married with First Choice go to firstchoice.co.uk.
*According to a Mintel report, May 2009.