Fears that recent global events would have an impact on the British travel market were confirmed this week by travel management software specialists Multicom.
The Bristol-based online travel software business, recently acquired by Swedish firm Paxport, reported sales in January showed a decrease in bookings for the Eastern Mediterranean of 40% year on year.
Egypt, Turkey and Greece are the main destinations to suffer from the drop in confidence in the region report Multicom.
In the same period bookings to Western European destinations including the Balearics, Spain and Portugal have noticeably picked up and appear to be the beneficiaries of the downturn further east.
Additionally, some holidaymakers are making later decisions about their overseas trips with bookings for breaks within 30 days before departure increasing.
Shorter length breaks booked during the period are also up year on year reflecting a further shift in consumer’s behaviour.
Multicom Head of Business Delivery & Operations Chris Nourse said: “British holidaymakers are clearly taking a more cautious approach when planning their holidays this year.
“Over the years they have shown they can be very resilient when faced with the threat of disruption to their travel plans or an increased risk to their safety for whatever reason.
“However, the increased threat of global terrorism in light of recent events in Tunisia and Sharm-el-Sheikh and the appalling attacks closer to home in Paris has noticeably heightened concern among consumers.
“We can already see the impact on bookings made through FindandBook and we expect confidence will be slower to return than we have witnessed previously, it is likely that the continuing threat will affect the balance for the longer term this time round.”
Paxport is a leading ancillary merchandising and passenger management partner, enabling airlines and travel resellers to grow their ancillary revenues and provide a world-class travel retail experience for their customers.
Source: Multicom
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