The chief executive of Thomas Cook is confident the travel industry will continue to grow in 2023 despite concerns over the rising cost of holidays.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on Friday (21 April), Alan French said holiday costs are "generally" up about 6% year-on-year.
"However, it’s difficult to say that definitively as the choice has got so much wider, and people are choosing from a much broader range of holidays this year than they could last year," he added.
"But this year they can be confident they can get there and there aren’t going to be restrictions put on them."
French reported an increase in customers "shopping around" and looking for a deal – which, he assured, there are "many".
"If it turns out that the destinations they went to before the pandemic have gone up in price, then there are other holidays available to them, and those value options are becoming much more certain options – places such as Morocco and parts of Turkey, for instance," he reassured.
French said the brand is "confident" for the rest of the year as most of the macro-economic challenges "might be behind us".
"I do think the range of choices this year is greater than it’s ever been before, and there is plenty of value out there," he added.
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