The concept of package tourism has its root in the United Kingdom when, in 1841, English businessman Thomas Cook brought nearly 500 people on a trip from Leicester to Loughborough. The journey, costing one shilling per person, included train tickets, tea, and sandwiches. Around 180 years after that first all-inclusive excursion, the idea of a package holiday remains roughly the same. Today, the term mainly refers to vacations booked via a travel agency or tour operator that comprises transport, accommodation, and other services such as transfers and meals. As of March 2023, approximately 20 percent of
over the last year. When breaking down the expenses on this tourism product, Britons aged between 50 and 64 recorded the highest
. However, between April 2021 and March 2022, weekly household spending on package travel was significantly lower than in the 2019/2020 fiscal year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. That said, the
showed strong signs of recovery in 2022 and was forecast to surpass pre-pandemic levels in the following year.
Where do UK consumers book package holidays?
Travel agents originally operated out of brick-and-mortar establishments, but in recent years have increasingly moved online. That being said, big brand travel agencies such as
TUI – a multinational travel group headquartered in Germany – and airline businesses still play a central role for this tourism segment in the United Kingdom. When looking at the
package holiday bookings by brand in the UK, TUI and the tour operator arms of Jet2, British Airways, and EasyJet (Jet2Holidays, British Airways Holidays, and EasyJet Holidays, respectively) were among the biggest players in the UK package tourism market as of March 2023. As of that period, TUI and Jet2Holidays were also among the
leading websites for UK holiday searches.
The UK package holiday market after the COVID-19 pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted
global travel and tourism, the package holiday market in the UK experienced roughly a 60 percent annual drop in the first year of the health crisis. While in 2021 it was one of the
tourism segments reporting the highest revenue growth in the United Kingdom, the market had not caught up yet with pre-pandemic figures in 2022. However, this segment is expected to fully recover from the impact of COVID-19 in 2023, as the
revenue of package holidays in the UK is forecast to reach an estimated 10.6 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, according to
Statista Mobility Market Insights, package holiday sales in the UK are predicted to take place increasingly online, with online sales channels accounting for over three-quarters of the market.
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liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
