Holidaymakers who have had bad experiences booking flights and accommodation separately online are returning to package holidays or traditional travel agents, a spokesman for Cardiff Airport has claimed.
For several years the outlook for tour operators has declined as customers use the internet to book flights - typically with budget airlines - and hotels direct. This allows them to book the departure dates they want, the length of stay they want, and also to typically save money in the process.
There are claims now that some people are becoming disillusioned with DIY holidays for a number of reasons, including the complexity of getting flights, accommodation and transfers to match up, a lack of reliable online feedback about hotels and a lack of support if things go wrong. If a flight is cancelled, the passengers may receive a refund for a flight cost, but not for hotels, car hire, a cruise or other items booked independently, for example.
Peter Phillips, Cardiff Airport’s head of marketing, said: ‘It looks as though the packaged holiday market has reversed its decline. It appears to us that people are returning to the idea of getting everything at a one-stop shop.’
The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said package holidays had declined but the latest figures available showed an increase. In the first nine months of 2007 15.4 million package holidays were sold – up from 15.3 million in the first nine months of 2006.
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