Long-haul bookings have hit "such high levels" since the lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions that packages for 2024 are already available for bookings, according to Cumbria-based independent agency Travel the Globe.
After two years of travel disruption brought by the pandemic, the agency said holidaymakers are "making up for lost time" by travelling to "bucket-list" destinations such as the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and the Maldives.
The firm said the high volume of long-haul bookings for 2022 and 2023 has led operators to release dates for 2024 "well ahead" of usual timescales.
Claire Milby, a director at Travel the Globe, said the rise in long-haul bookings was "really interesting" and they are proving to be "just as, if not more, popular" than trips to traditional hotspots such as Spain, Turkey and Greece.
"Because of the lockdowns during Covid and then the many restrictions on holidays following that, people are just desperate to get as far away as possible and invest in that holiday of a lifetime they may have been planning further down the line," she added.
The independent agency reported a spike in New York bookings, as well as safaris in South Africa.
"During lockdown, a lot of people missed out on celebrating special occasions such as big birthdays or wedding anniversaries, so there are a lot of retrospective celebrations and trips to be had," Milby continued.
"Holiday packages for 2024 are already being marketed which is unprecedented when we’re still selling for 2022 and 2023, but such has been the demand that people are wanting to book well in advance if they’ve been unable to get their desired choice next year."
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