Long Haul & Adventure Holidays emerge as top travel trends for Summer 2017
The latest Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) quarterly survey has revealed that Long Haul and Adventure Holidays are the emerging travel trends among Irish holidaymakers for Summer 2017. In the survey, 20% of ITAA member agents named Long Haul destinations as the top travel trend for the summer, with another 20% naming Cruises and 12% of travel agents revealed that more and more customers were looking for Adventure Experiences in 2017.
The survey results also showed continued growth for the Irish travel trade with 83% of travel agents experiencing an increase in turnover for the first quarter of 2017 (Jan-Mar) when compared with the same period in 2016. This figure is a 13% increase on the previous year. 75% of travel agents surveyed also experienced an increase in bookings for the first 3 months of 2017, with a quarter of those surveyed seeing an increase in bookings of more than 10%.
Commenting on the findings, Cormac Meehan, President of the ITAA, said, “This quarter’s survey shows, once again, that the Irish travel industry is continuing to prosper. The results also reveal the changing tastes of Irish market. Consumers are now spending more on their holidays and are looking to travel agents for personalised holiday experiences, expert advice and financial protection.”
In the survey, Spain, Portugal and the USA were once again named as Ireland’s most popular holiday destinations for summer 2017, while European cities topped the poll of city break destinations. London was voted the most popular city break of the year so far, followed by Barcelona and Rome.
The ITAA represents Ireland’s travel Industry, bringing together 100 travel agent members and 70 affiliate partners. ITAA members cover over 140 outlets in different towns and cities throughout the Republic of Ireland. All travel agent members are licensed by the Commission for Aviation Regulation and are fully bonded providing full financial protection for their customers.
