Abta predicts ‘bumper’ Sunshine Saturday for agents and operators

The first Saturday after the Christmas and New Year break, Sunshine Saturday is claimed to be the busiest day of the year for holiday bookings.

Abta said it expected the day to be “one of the busiest for a number of a years” as the sector continues its post-pandemic recovery and consumer confidence to travel grows.

Research by the association claims 61% of Brits are planning an overseas trip in 2023, with 31% planning to book earlier than normal in order to get the best price, while 66% of people say going on holiday is “very important” to them and they intend to prioritise travel over other discretionary spend such as eating out, leisure activities or new clothes.

"People’s appetite for taking a holiday has remained remarkably resilient despite the ongoing pressure on people’s finances, though there’s definitely a strong focus on securing great value for money,” said Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer.

Ahead of Sunshine Saturday, Abta has revealed its top 23 destinations for 2023 – the countries its research claims Brits most want to visit during the next 12 months.

Spain, the US, France Italy and Greece make up the top five, while Australia is the eighth most popular.

Abta’s top 23 destinations for 2023

1 Spain
2 USA
3 France
4 Italy
5 Greece
6 Portugal
7 Germany
8 Australia
9 Turkey
10 Cyprus
11 Austria
12 Thailand
13 Canada
14 Netherlands
15 United Arab Emirates
16 Ireland
17 Croatia
18 Mexico
19 Switzerland
20 Norway
21 Egypt
22 Iceland
23 Belgium