Published: Tue 15 Jan 2013 at 09:17
Updated: Tue 15 Jan 2013 at 09:22
The first week in January could prove to be the busiest in 2013 for booking cheap flights to the Spanish Costas and other popular holiday destinations, according to research by the British travel industry.
Once the tinsel and baubles have been packed away, the New Year can look especially dark and gloomy, which is why many people begin making plans for their summer holidays at this time. Traditionally, airlines and holiday companies expect January to be a busy month, although people generally delay making their plans until they return to work full-time.
However, two leading names in the travel industry have predicted an even earlier start for 2013, with the 6th and 7th of January (dubbed Sunshine Sunday and Bumper Holiday Monday) expected to trump all booking dates for the rest of the year. Two million searches were predicted for the Sunday alone, with thousands of bookings confirmed the same day.
2012 was the year of the “Summer of Sport”, during which many family holidays were put on hold. It was also one of the wettest years in history, especially during December. Both these factors would have had an impact on people’s holiday plans for this year. Torrential downpours, gales, and flooding sent record numbers of householders flocking to their computers over the Christmas period, with one spokesperson suggesting some families would have booked their 2013 summer holiday before they sat down to their 2012 Christmas dinner.
Popular searches included cheap flights to the Spanish Costas, Venice, Barcelona, Rome, Greece and the Canary Islands, all of which are available online from Jet2.com.
