Travel and tourism sector unlikely to see a winter holiday boost and holidaymakers continue to sit tight

Leading UK Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform and the first BNPL travel agent, Butter, has found that the UK travel and tourism industry is unlikely to see a post-summer boost as holidaymakers continue to sit tight due to Covid-Uncertainty.

As a nation of sun-seeking holidaymakers, it comes as no surprise that Butter found 85% of us prefer a summer holiday as opposed to a winter holiday.

However, with Covid causing chaos for foreign holidays again this summer, just a quarter of us have been able to jet away for a summer holiday.

Despite this, it doesn’t look as though we’ll be changing our preferences and opting to head away in the winter either.

Butter found that of those that didn’t manage to get away this summer, just a further 16% are planning a winter holiday to make up for it, with 84% staying put until next year.

Even in winter, sunshine is the main draw for holidaymakers, with 67% stating they will still opt for a sunny destination over a winter holiday option.

Timothy Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of Butter, commented:

“It’s fair to say that, rather than helping to steady the ship, the back and forth nature of the traffic light travel classification system has brought even further uncertainty to the travel and tourism industry and arguably done more harm than good.

A high level of turbulence continues to dampen our appetites for foreign holidays and so a late rally during the autumn and winter months is unlikely to materialise. As a result, the majority of UK holidaymakers have opted for another summer of staycations and unfortunately, it doesn’t look as if they will be changing their minds anytime soon.

For those that are considering a winter break, it’s vital you travel with a reputable travel agent providing ATOL and S75 cover to help safeguard against any unforeseen upsets. You must also make sure you fully understand the additional Covid protocols required by both the UK and your destination of choice and adhere to them fully to prevent any disappointment when travelling.”