City breaks drive surge in summer travel demand for On The Beach
The travel agency pointed to a 10% rise in advance bookings for the crucial summer period, compared to the same time last year.
Travel agency On The Beach has reported a surge in demand for summer travel, as consumers flocked to its new range of city break package holidays.
The group said sales for the period from October to February 23 are up 10% compared to the same period the year before, with an 18% increase over the winter.
Crucially, it has also seen a 10% increase in advance bookings for the summer period, including a 17% rise from March through to June.
The figures appear to buck a trend set by other travel groups, including German operator Tui, which reported a slowdown in bookings growth for the summer season earlier in February.
Meanwhile, airline Ryanair has been forced to cut some of its routes, blaming governments for opting to increase aviation taxes and charges.
On The Beach, meanwhile, has invested heavily in growing its offering of city break packages in the last year, and now takes bookings to more than 70 cities.
The UK-based retailer specialises in short and medium haul deals across Europe, offering both flights and hotels as part of its packages.
The group said it has also seen “good progress” on a new range of package holidays from the Republic of Ireland.
It comes after On The Beach clinched a tie-up with Ryanair last year, meaning it can sell he budget airline’s flights as part of its packages
Chief executive Shaun Morton said: “Demand for cities has been strong with routes to Amsterdam, Paris and Krakow proving particularly popular with both existing and new customers.
He said: “Similarly, our first marketing campaign in the Republic of Ireland has generated strong bookings growth across both city and beach.”
“The success of these early-stage strategic initiatives combined with the growth in our core beach proposition give me the confidence that summer 25 will be significantly ahead of summer 24,” he added.
