UK. Long-haul flight bookings to the UK for the two weeks around Christmas are up by a healthy +22% year-on-year, as visitors take advantage of the weak Pound Sterling. That’s according to flight data intelligence company ForwardKeys.
The expected Christmas surge follows an earlier boost to inbound travel to the UK after the ‘Brexit’ decision, with long-haul flight bookings climbing by +31% in July. However, by August, the increase in bookings had fallen to +4%, and in September and October year-on-year bookings growth was down to +1%.
November data shows that bookings are ahead by +2% and December by +7%, with the two weeks around Christmas at +22% compared to the same period last year.
English-speaking countries USA, Australia and Canada lead the way, with the relative strength of their currencies making the UK an attractive destination. Bookings from Hong Kong are also up, as are those from South Africa. A leap in inbound bookings among high-spending nationalities should deliver a boost to travel retailers in the UK.
Long-haul journeys by travellers heading outbound from the UK have also been hit post-Brexit. In September, based on bookings issued after the referendum result, they dropped -2%, after showing a healthy increase earlier in the year.
But there appears to be a revival, according to ForwardKeys. Departures booked for November and December are +6% above last year’s volumes, with the two weeks around Christmas showing an +18% surge.
Outbound departures to the USA are ahead by +25%. And many more British are also booked to key destinations including Canada, Thailand, India and Saudi Arabia.
VisitBritain Director Patricia Yates said: “The boost in flight bookings for Christmas particularly from our long-haul high-spending markets including China and the USA looks set to build on the strong growth from inbound tourism during the summer.”
ForwardKeys Co-founder and CEO Olivier Jager said: “It is interesting to note that the booking jumps have been at holiday times, in the summer and for Christmas, whereas the intervening period has been flat. This suggests that the fall in the value of Sterling, which makes Britain better value for tourists, who can choose to go anywhere for their holidays, has made a significant impact.”
ForwardKeys monitors future travel patterns by analysing 14 million reservation transactions each day.
