by It is Christmas evening, or early evening perhaps. You’re feeling stuffed, groggy, hungry – and maybe a little tired of your extended family. You are looking for ways to motivate yourself. You go to the Internet. When is the best time to spend thousands of pounds on the biggest purchase of the year? Or is it?
One of the strange psychological effects of Christmas is that, during Christmas coming up, it dominates our lives, leaving no time for anything else. And then suddenly it’s over. Apart from their short New Year’s knee, we are facing the grim reality of mid-winter and perhaps a lot to look forward to until Easter, which is still three months away.
That may be an overly negative reflection of the post-Christmas blues, but it certainly seems to be part of the motivation behind the travel industry’s busiest period ever: the post-Christmas booking boom. We get our seasonal pottery by thinking about summer. The travel industry is aware of this. His Christmas bonus is the money we pay to secure our bookings six or seven months before we even travel.
And it is remarkable how suddenly our moods change. According to Neil Swanson, Tui’s chief marketing officer, the company’s website sees a surge on Christmas Day, with visits and bookings up 20 per cent compared to the week before Christmas.
Then, on Boxing Day, traffic rises by 200 per cent and bookings by 700 per cent. In other words, not only has the number of people visiting the site almost doubled overnight, but people are three and a half times more likely to book. And things keep picking up from there until the first weekend in January, by which time searches are up 600 percent and bookings are up a whopping 1,400 percent. In short, Tui goes from the quietest point of the year to the busiest point in just two short weeks.
It’s the same story across the industry. Ed Pyke, director of operations at specialist Villa Simpson Travel, said he traditionally sees a surge in website traffic on Boxing Day: “In 2022 this surge came even earlier, peaking in the late afternoon of Christmas Day. When this boom comes it stays with us into the New Year, when festive research begins for a significant increase in inquiries and sales which continues well into the spring.”
Luxury operator Elegant Resorts said traffic to its website last year increased by 72 per cent on Boxing Day compared to the previous week. Meanwhile Trailfinders, who sell mainly over the phone (or in their shops), told me that their numbers pick up steadily after Christmas. Last year, compared to December 23, it was up 80 percent by December 30 and calls tripled by early January.
You can also see the story playing out more generally on the internet. For example, according to Google Trends, which rates search levels for specific phrases on a 100 point scale, last year the rating for people looking for “Travel Deals” went from zero on Christmas Eve to 90 on Boxing Day . Terms such as “Summer Holidays” and “Holidays in Greece” had similar results. Search for triple family holidays between Christmas Day and December 27; specifically, “Majorca Villas” went from zero to 100 between Christmas Day and January 2nd.
Operators are well prepared for this rush. All the big sun and sand specialists launch lots of offers and incentives to try and convert traffic into bookings. Tui’s campaign kicks off on Boxing Day, for example, when it reopens its telephone contact centers as well as taking online bookings, while Kuoni will launch its New Year’s incentives on the same day.
But, is it a good idea to be tempted now? Do these deals represent good value, or is it better to wait and see if prices drop again in January, or even later in the year? The short answer is that you need to tread carefully. Christmas week is certainly an excellent time for research and planning, at least for those of us who have time off work. But it’s not necessarily the best time to book.
The exceptions are: if you have a peak summer season – especially for a departure during one of the first two or three weeks of school holidays in July and August – and more so if you want to fly from regional airports with limited selection of events. Prices for those dates are only likely to increase (especially for flights) and you will certainly have more choice in terms of accommodation and departure options.
You want to watch for some pitfalls, though. Here are four reasons to be cautious:
1. Discounts
Trying to determine if a discount is “real” can be tricky as package holiday prices are not usually set and vary according to demand. A “discount” may be a cheaper price than the week before, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be even cheaper next week. So ignore the hype and check the bottom line – the most important thing is that you can afford it and it’s good value.
2. Low deposits
Low or “zero” deposits are often offered as an incentive at this time of year. You might think they are a good way to lock in an option on your summer holiday knowing you can always cancel at a later date if you can’t afford to go ahead with the holiday or if you don’t have to with your plans to change. But as Which recently? the report pointed out that in almost all cases, the fine print means you’re signing an agreement to pay the rest of the deposit later – and you’ll be legally liable for that much more if you decide cancel it. So while low deposits can be good news if you want to secure your vacation but delay your payments, they can’t usually be used as a low-risk way to book a good deal .
3. Price-matching guarantees
Some agents and operators try to gain your trust by promising to refund the difference if you get the same holiday elsewhere. Take such assurances with a huge pinch of salt. They are positive, but they are an easy promise to make and of questionable value to consumers. The terms and conditions are also usually very limited and, in any case, few people continue to look for a holiday after buying one.
4. “Free” children’s places.
This is another area where it is easy to get distracted by the marketing hype. The first thing to be aware of is that usually only the flight and meals are “free”; the child will have to share your room or flat to qualify. And although they can be good value, the only way to be sure is to look online, check the holiday price as if only two adults were booked and then re-book to cover the cost of to see one or more children. Then you will know if it is free or not.
