Battlefield tour bookings up 20%

Leger Holidays, the UK’s leading escorted tour specialist, has reported a 20% increase in bookings for its leading WW1 and WW2 Battlefield tours as significant world war anniversaries boost interest in historical breaks.

As the 65th anniversary of the D-Day Landings approaches, the Battlefield holiday specialist has noted a marked increase in enquiries and bookings for its world war experience breaks. With more and more members of the public, including family members, schools and veterans, looking to re-live their family history, departures for Leger’s D-Day landings tour are up 18%.

But despite record figures, new research by Leger Holidays has predicted that the future looks much less bright. Revealing a startling level of apathy amongst younger generations when it comes to their own family history, with over a quarter (27%) of children under-16 claiming to be indifferent or wouldn’t care if stories about their family’s experiences in past world wars were forgotten.

Now, to inspire younger generations to have an interest in their own family’s world war experiences, the leading tour operator has launched a brand new initiative called ‘Keep the Memories Alive’ aimed at inspiring children today to have more interest in their own family history.

As the 65th anniversary of D Day approaches, Leger is urging the UK to take the time to talk to their elderly relatives and learn about their involvement in the WW2 and then share these stories with the nation at keepthememoriesalive.co.uk.

All submissions will be kept online for other people to view, with the site intended to provide a long lasting resource for schools, history enthusiasts and family members. As part of the campaign, Leger is also developing a directory of expert veterans which can be used by teachers as a living resource for schools.

Ashley Dellow, Trade Sales Manager, at Leger Holidays, said: “Our Battlefield’s breaks have always been extremely popular and we have secured a reputation for being one of the leading Battlefield operators in the UK.

“The two significant world war anniversaries - the 90th anniversary of the end of WW1 last year and the forthcoming 65th anniversary of D Day landings – has really fuelled public interest in finding out about their own family history which in turn has led to an increased number in bookings.

“At Leger, we are dedicated to going above and beyond when it comes to providing people with information to support their Battlefield holiday. Our expert guides are the best in the UK and will always go the extra mile to provide customers with extra information and answer any questions they may have. In keeping with this tradition, we believe that the Keep the Memories Alive campaign will be extremely successful in sparking interest and enthusiasm in World War Two history amongst even more people, especially younger generations.”

D-Day Landings in Normandy – four or five days from £199 per person

See the landing beaches, battlegrounds, military cemeteries and museums of the single biggest invasion force ever assembled in this four or five day historic tour.

Travel by coach to Normandy for a three or four night stay with breakfast included. Trip lead by expert Battlefield guides.

Special reduced prices for children under 17 during school holidays available.

Departures to 65th anniversary of D Day landings (departing 5th June) still available from £269 per person for four days.

For further information on all Battlefield tours visit battlefields.leger.co.uk.