Soggy summer prompts surge in sunny escapes
The unseasonably wet weather in the UK this August has sparked a marked increase in late holiday bookings, according to one East Midlands holiday firm.
Lincoln-based ABTA luxury holiday specialist Sun-hat Villas & Resorts is reporting a higher than average number of reservations for its portfolio of luxury villas in September and October.
Bookings for the two months are up over 37% per cent in 2017 compared to 2016, and have more than doubled since 2015, with the most popular destination booked with the operator being the Algarve.
Most tellingly, last-minute holidays, booked within the last four weeks with departures in September and October are up 50% per cent year on year.
With this summer being the 11th wettest on record, sun-starved holidaymakers seeking a last-minute fix of warm, dry weather are thought to be the reason behind the sudden spike in business.
“The UK had an average of 320mm of rainfall over the summer, over 30 per cent higher than the annual norm,” explained Peter Jenkins, managing director of Sun-hat Villas & Resorts.
“The forecast in the Algarve for the next few weeks is consistent sunshine, with temperatures hovering reliably around 26 degrees.
“We have all felt a little short-changed by the unseasonably wet weather this summer, so it’s little wonder people are looking for some guaranteed sunshine and are booking a last minute getaway overseas.”
Even though this summer has felt a bit of a damp squib, it is quite some way from the wettest on record. This accolade goes to the year that the Titanic sank, 1912, when an average of 384.4mm of rain across the year was recorded in July and August alone.
While Sun-hat’s recent surge in bookings is particularly noteworthy, the firm has also recorded the highest number of reservations so far this year than in any other since its inception in 2001.
With political and social unrest seeing tourism figures within some destinations such as Egypt and Tunisia falling, companies such as Sun-hat, who offer a selection of luxury villas in more traditional destinations such as the Algarve, Majorca, Menorca, Tuscany, Ibiza, Sicily, Lanzarote and Barbados, have seen a corresponding upturn in holiday sales.
