Over-55s defy the crunch at Christmas

Grand UK Holidays is taking away more people over Christmas than ever before, as customers refuse to allow the credit crunch to spoil their festivities. The over-55s specialist has been bucking the gloomy trends by adding capacity to its Yuletide programme and will be entertaining record numbers this Christmas and New Year.

Sales director Harold Burke said: “We have almost 3,000 customers booked to travel with us this Christmas and many more booked on Turkey & Tinsel and New Year breaks.

“Our customers remain undeterred by the doom and gloom stories about the economy and are determined to enjoy themselves.

“I am hopeful the Christmas period will prove to be a good indicator of how our market will perform next year.”

The operator’s Christmas programme has become increasingly popular over recent years as people in the over-55 age group seek festive breaks in the UK with like-minded folk.

A high proportion of people travelling at this time are single, having lost their partner or travelling companion, and understandably do not wish to be alone at Christmas.

Many hotels featured by Grand UK offer plenty of rooms for single travellers – with no single supplements applied to UK breaks.

The operator’s friendly tour managers ensure singles can enjoy their holiday to the full and many of them forge new friendships.

Burke added: “We have a large number of solo travellers, who may be widowed or divorced, and spending their first Christmas alone. Customers often tell us how much they enjoyed their Christmas break, thanks to the friendly tour manager.”

Grand UK Holidays features 60 Christmas break destinations, mostly in the UK. They are some of the most popular tours in Grand UK’s programme, and some were booked as soon as the winter brochure was released back in May.

A limited number of Christmas and New Year breaks are still available, with the chance to combine both festive breaks into an 11-day holiday and enjoy the three nights in between for just £10 per person per night at selected hotels.

Prices start at £315 for the five-day Christmas holidays, departing December 23rd, and from £239 for the four-day New Year breaks, departing December 30.

Burke said: “Our full-board Christmas breaks offer great value for money as all travel and excursions are included, plus entertainment. Our lead-in prices are in many cases the same as last year.”

For details see grandukholidays.com.