Barrhead Travel sees 20% increase in bookings for Christmas and New Year escapes compared to last year

With Christmas around the corner and winter starting to kick in, leading UK travel agency, Barrhead Travel has seen a record number of Belfast people booking Christmas escapes.

The travel agency has seen Christmas and New Year sales up almost 20% in bookings for departures across the Christmas and New Year period compared to last year, with cruising and all-inclusive the most popular styles of holiday.

As the cold weather and early evenings arrive, data shows people are after winter sun with top destinations throughout the UK including Tenerife, Barbados, Lanzarote, Miami and Dubai.

With many looking arrange a trip this winter, 2024 has also been the year of last-minute bookings, and the winter has been no different - in England and Northern Ireland, winter sales are accounting for 33% of business for the firm last month.

Jacqueline Dobson, President at Barrhead Travel, said: “2024 has been the year of the last-minute getaway with one of the key driving factors being the poor weather that we’ve experienced here in the UK.

“Christmas and New Year are always a popular time for travel but we’re noticing higher than usual volumes for bookings during this period. Looking at our top destinations, it’s clear that people from Belfast are keen to secure some winter sunshine and are maximising their annual leave and school holidays.

“Holidays remain an incredibly important part of people’s lives right now – so our experts are focused on delivering the very best value-for-money and high-quality experiences for our customers.”

The successful winter period comes after yet another highflying summer for the Glasgow headquartered travel agency, who are already reporting a record-breaking year, trading up 12% compared with 2023, which was also a record year for the group.

Barrhead Travel’s retail network is open seven days a week until late, with evening support available through the online service, call centres and social media channels.