Clients are booking later, taking shorter trips and increasingly looking beyond peak summer, according to the latest booking trends report from the Advantage Travel Partnership.
Speaking at a media briefing yesterday (8 September), Advantage reported that member revenue is up 9% year on year in 2026, with average booking value also up, by 9%.
CEO Julia Lo Bue-Said OBE said: “Brits aren’t giving up on their holidays, far from it. But we are seeing people become much more considered about when and where they travel, as well as they type of holiday they book, and how far in advance of travel they commit to booking.”
The number of bookings made 15-30 days before departure is up 35%, while those made just one to seven days out have risen 20%.
The trend is being driven by uncertainty, with customers increasingly waiting before committing to travel, according to the consortium. At the same time, bookings for trips of less than seven nights are up 42%.
Customers remain focused on value, but are not necessarily looking for the cheapest option.
Commercial Director John Sullivan said: “Value isn’t necessarily the cheapest. It’s about getting the best return for your budget.”
Tenerife, Mallorca and the Costa Blanca are among the most booked short-haul destinations, while New York, Orlando and Jamaica are among the most popular long-haul destinations.
Cooler and shoulder-season travel grows
Shoulder-season revenue is up 5% and revenue from sales for cooler destinations up 29%. Advantage said some of the shift is because of the Middle East conflict earlier this year. Easter bookings fell 8%, but Advantage said that was because some clients moved their holidays to other times of the year, since Easter fell so close to the start of the unrest.
“What our agent member partners have been really great at is making sure the customer still gets a holiday,” John said, “Some of the Easter holidays moved into summer and also into Christmas.”
Advantage said this does not necessarily mean holidaymakers are abandoning traditional summer destinations, but that they are becoming more flexible about when they take different types of trips.
John said: “You shouldn’t mistake this, as people, rather than going to the beaches in the southern Med, are now going to beaches in northern Europe. I think people are actually travelling differently. So they’ll have taken their beach holiday, or they’re going to take their beach holiday, in that shoulder season – May and June, or September and October. They’ll do it in a slightly cooler time.”
He added that, during peak times of July and August, clients are ‘doing different stuff’. “That could be touring, that could be cruising, and that happens slightly further north. So it’s not about people moving the beach destination. It’s doing a different type of holiday.”
Driven by this trend, Advantage has repeated its call for a flexible approach to the school summer holidays, with two weeks from the August summer holiday redistributed across October and February half terms.
Julia said: “The traditional six-week summer holiday is increasingly out of step with the way people travel today. It concentrates millions of families into the same six weeks, pushing up prices and putting huge pressure on airports, airlines, resorts and destinations.
“At the same time, European summers are getting hotter, making July and August increasingly challenging for holidaymakers. We need to start thinking differently about when families take their holidays.”
Touring and long-haul trends
Shoulder season travel gives agents an opportunity to encourage customers to consider travel outside the busiest summer months, particularly for touring, cruising and experience-led holidays, according to John.
Touring has been one of the strongest performers, with revenue up 22%.
John said: “Touring has been a real growth story for us in 2026. People are looking beyond a traditional fly-and-flop holiday and increasingly want to see and experience a destination properly.
“China, Indonesia and South America are already on our radar as destinations to watch, with China particularly interesting following the easing of visa restrictions for British travellers and the growing influence of programmes such as Race Across the World shining the light on the incredible cuisine, culture and nature of the expansive country.”
Advantage also reported that travellers who would originally have travelled to the Middle East over the past year have opted for the US , where bookings are up 18%, the Caribbean, up 13%, and the Far East.
John added: “When all of a sudden it became really difficult to travel to the Middle East or beyond, rather than not having any options, our member agents shifted people, particularly into the Caribbean. The Caribbean was a real winner.
“I think the nice thing about that is in recent years the Caribbean has invested heavily in its infrastructure, its hotels, and its product. So I think you’ll see people going back to the Caribbean, or going for the first time their heads will be turned. It’ll be interesting to watch what happens with the Caribbean moving forward.”
Asia leads cruise growth
Cruise spend through Advantage agents is also up 14% year on year.
Ocean cruise remains the most popular segment, up 10%, while expedition cruise has recorded the strongest percentage growth at 41%.
River cruise revenue is up 29%, and advantage said agents are increasingly introducing river cruising to customers who might previously have booked escorted or land tours.
Luxury cruise revenue is up 22%, compared with 8% last year.
Bookings for 2027 cruise departures are up 22%, while 2028 bookings are up 13%.
Cooler cruise destinations are also performing strongly, with Norway and the fjords up 14% and the Baltics and Northern Europe up 10%. No-fly cruising remains popular among customers looking to avoid airports during peak summer.
Caribbean cruise bookings are up 29%, while Asia is another area to watch, with cruise bookings to the region up 32%.
Cruise Director Jonny Peat said: “Japan and the wider Asia region offers that sense of discovery. Asia is already the fastest going region, up 32%, and we expect that to very much continue.
“Japan is leading the way, but we’re seeing growing demand in Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia more widely. These are complex holidays. They require lots of thought and investment, and this is where our members come into their own.”
Future trends
Albania was flagged as one to watch for next year, while bookings to Egypt are up 53%, Hong Kong 64%, South Africa 23% and Vietnam 30%, with their popularity expected to continue into 2027.
John said: “I think those destinations lend themselves really well back into that value piece. Whether that’s value in terms of the price you pay to get there or the price when you actually pay when you are there because of the cost of living.”
Major events are also expected to influence future travel demand, with the Ryder Cup in Ireland, FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, the solar eclipse in North Africa and Spain and the Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia all expected to drive bookings.
