Packages still dominate UK holiday market
Package holidays continue to dominate the overseas UK holiday market, according to ABTA research out today.
Half of the holidays people take each year are packages, a figure that has held steady since 2014.
But, the research, based on interviews with ABTA members, highlighted big differences between the package holidays of today compared to those in the 1970s.
Customers now often want to be the first to visit a destination or particular resort, whereas back in the 1970s many people chose a holiday location based on where their friends or family had already been.
A package holiday in the 1970s was often sold with the promise of a ‘home-from-home’, but today many UK holidaymakers want to experience a different culture.
In the early days of package holidays, the most popular destinations were the Balearics, Italian Riviera, Belgium (specifically Blankenberge), Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
While there is still a strong market for traditional package holiday destinations today – almost 25 million visits were made to Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Malta combined last year, a big increase from just over 13 million in 1994 – today’s holidaymakers are branching out and going further afield.
UK holidaymaker visits to Mexico in 1994 stood at 18,778 whereas in 2018 visits were up by 3500% to 676,734 – more than the number of visits to Malta (559,677).
Trips to Bulgaria have doubled since 1994 and it looks set to continue to increase its share of visitors, with bookings for summer 2019 up 16% on last year.
ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "The UK continues to be a nation in love with the foreign holiday as tens of millions of people head abroad each year, with package holidays still dominating a large proportion of the travel market. But how we’re holidaying now is quite different compared to the package breaks of the 1970s.
"Holidaymakers’ tastes are continually evolving, and the travel industry is adapting to the changing demands of customers; whether you want a two week trip around the Caribbean, a cultural city break to Cadiz, a tailor-made trip to Mexico or seven days in the Costa del Sol, all of these options can be provided via a package holiday."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers