‘Wettest summer in a century’ fuelling buoyant lates market

The research underlines a recent uptick in agent enquiries following the general election and football’s European Championships as those in the market for a late deal turn their focus back to the summer holidays.

"We’re having customers come in wanting to go literally a few days later – I think this is what we will have for the next three to four weeks,” said Kate Dixon, manager of Seaside Travel’s Sacriston branch.

ArrangeMy Escape general manager Jennifer Lynch told TTG she was preparing for a busy period "with high expectations", one she expects to continue into August – not typically a busy month for her team in terms of new bookings.

Oyster Travel’s Vicky Samwell-Buckenham said there was "massive" demand from families for August, while Dixon added there had been "a dramatic" increase in new enquiries. A fourth agent told TTG the lates market was "saturated".

Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said there was still "availability and good value to be found", especially for last-minute all-inclusive stays and cruises this summer.

"Across our travel agent partners, overall booking numbers are up 1% compared with the same period in 2023, while the average duration of trips has increased from eight to nine nights in comparison with last year," she added.

Ryanair, meanwhile, this week reported a slump in prices compared with last year. The low-cost carrier said its post-tax profits were down by 46% year-on-year in the three months to 30 June 2024 following a 15% fall in air fares.

"While second-quarter demand is strong, pricing remains softer than we expected and we now expect second-quarter fares to be materially lower than last summer,” said Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary.