easyJet and easyJet holidays have revealed the latest travel trends for 2024 as bookings took off during the first days of its biggest ever Big Orange Sale, offering up to 20% off over two million seats across Europe and up to £300 off package holidays until 5 February 2024.
Flights to Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Alicante and Malaga from the UK proved to be the most popular during the sale’s first week, while Hurghada in Egypt, Rovaniemi in Lapland and Milan are among the destinations to have experienced the greatest rise in popularity compared to 2023.
Since the launch of the sale, destinations including Prague, Nantes, Berlin, Bilbao and Verona also increased in popularity for Brits compared to 2023.
Package holidays remain popular for 2024, with all inclusive, seven night breaks in highest demand during the first week of the sale. Tenerife, Lanzarote and Hurghada led the way for beach breaks and Paris, Amsterdam and Iceland proved most popular for city escapes, which account for stays of three to five nights.
More people are spending the festive period searching for holiday deals, with easyJet holidays web and app visits up over 40% on Christmas Day and up nearly 80% on Boxing Day compared to last year, with between 4pm and 6pm being the busiest time of day to make a booking.
In the first week of the sale, flights in January were most popular, as British consumers snapped up last minute winter sun breaks. Bookings to Tunisia during the start of the sale saw a boost compared to last year, as well as Hurghada and Almería in the Spanish region of Andalusia.
Geneva, Lyon and Innsbruck are proving most popular for ski breaks at the start of the sale. The airline has been focusing on expanding ski routes with the addition of three aircraft in Switzerland and will see a 20% increase in its ski flying programme this year compared to last.
May proved to be the most popular summer month for flight bookings in the first week of the sale, with people taking advantage of half term deals to the likes of Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Faro, while August is set to be the most popular departure month for package holidays.
Faro is the most-booked peak summer destination since the sale began, while the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, Agadir in Morocco, Malta, Verona and Valencia have all seen early signs of greater popularity compared to 2023.
The booking trends follow recent research carried out by the airline in November 2023 that showed more than two thirds of Brits (67%) have said they more likely to travel abroad in 2024 than in 2023.
Protecting holiday spend remains a priority for most with over three quarters (77%) saying they will prioritise spending money on a holiday over anything else in their yearly budget – up from 70% last year.
Great value deals are still to be had during the Big Orange Sale with up to 20% off 1.2 million seats across thousands of flights to and from the UK, from just £24.99 and up to £300 off on easyJet holidays, with over 5000 hotels to pick from.
Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO commented: ”Year after year we continue to see the value and importance of holidays to consumers, which is evident in this traditionally busy booking period for holidays."
"It's great to see North African destinations seeing a resurgence in popularity alongside last minute winter sun, city and ski bookings for the new year. Destinations in Spain and Portugal remain firm favourites for our customers time and time again, while the popularity of easyJet holidays packages shows no sign of slowing down, with all-inclusive breaks proving most popular for 2024."
“With flights from the UK to over 130 destinations to choose from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, package holidays available to over 5000 hotels and customers choosing us for our network and fantastic value for money, easyJet is looking forward to taking even more people on the holidays they value in 2024.”